The Way Back Home
by snowflake2410
Summary: Aggie Andrews: Sister to Fred and Ex to F.P. Aggie returns home after many years away to help her brother with his seperation from his wife. There, she runs into someone from her past, someone she hoped to never see again. Tragedy tore them apart, could tragedy bring them together? F.P./OC
1. Heading Back Home

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics. Hell, I don't even own Bobby or any other person baring the Mercer name.**

1st P.O.V. Detroit-Riverdale, 2016

I tucked the green scarf into Evan's blue parka. It was cold outside, and they would be here any moment to pick him up. By his feet stood a kid-sized suitcase with a bunch of dinosaurs printed out onto it.

I smiled at the boy, reassuring him that it would be alright. I stood up from kneeling when I heard a car pull up to my driveway.

"Aggie?" Evan looked at me with the biggest eyes a seven-year-old could muster and I nearly melted at the innocence they held.

"Yes?"

"Will they play with me?"

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Your new brothers and sisters?"

Evan nodded, his tiny dreadlocks bobbing as his head moved.

I grinned. "Of course they will! I met them last week. They were so excited to meet you. I think André even wanted to teach you how to play catch."

Evan looked fearful for a moment. "Are they nice?"

I put my hand on Evan's shoulder and gave him a serious look. "I would never put you in harm's way. I made absolutely sure that the Peterson's were nothing but the sweetest people alive. Okay?"

Evan sniffed as his voice quivered. "Okay."

To me, this was always the hardest part. The sending kids off.

After travelling the world for nearly all of my twenties and the first couple years of my thirties, I decided to lay down some roots somewhere.

Temporary roots.

I used to work as a travel writer, while authoring a fictional series of books on the side. But I didn't feel really fulfilled. That probably explained me moving around from place to place.

I had graduated from The University of Glasgow at the top of my class as a double major in both Writing and Social Work.

A couple of years ago, I got the offer to have my book series made into a film. Initially, I said no. But then I thought of all the good I could use that money for. So I said yes on two conditions. 1.) That they keep my real name out of it, as I used a pen name for my books. And 2.) That it be made into a low-key show, preferably on Netflix.

Five years and three seasons later, I was living in Detroit.

I picked Detroit because I wanted to help the kids there. Detroit, one of the most violent cities in the U.S., needed more help than it received. I quit my job as a travel writer, rented a house, and became a case worker for kids.

I also became a foster parent, giving children and teenagers a temporary place to stay, until I found permanent families that were willing to adopt them.

It was hard at times. Sometimes there would be outbursts of anger, sometimes there would be outbursts of tears. Sometimes there would only be silence, which was the worst, because it usually meant something traumatizing had happened.

But I did my best, and usually, it paid off in the end.

I liked doing this. It was fulfilling. And it was my way of escape.

However, good times rarely last.

One rare period of having no children or teens in my house, I took a weekend trip to Chicago. I was exiting a theater when I noticed a familiar mop of red hair.

"Mary? Is that you?" My brother's wife turned around and was shocked to see me.

I laughed and ran over, giving her a hug. "Oh My God! You cut your hair! It looks good."

Mary's eyes darted around as she pulled away from my hug and twirled a strand of her hair. "Thanks." She murmured.

I grinned and I turned around to see if my brother and Archie were nearby.

"Are the boys with you?" I asked.

Mary shook her head. "No, I'm here alone."

My smile faltered. Mary, last I heard, didn't have much of a job and she had no family in this area. "Why are you here?"

Mary gave me a sad smile. "I live here now."

My stomach dropped. "By yourself?"

She nodded.

I covered my mouth in shock. "What happened with you and Freddy?"

Mary gave me an uncomfortable look and said, "Listen, it was nice to see you, but I have somewhere to be. I suggest you call your brother if you want to know what happened."

She turned heel and left.

Fred Andrews, my big brother by a year, was now separated from his wife.

I wasn't on social media, I never liked the idea of it. So I wrote and called Fred when I could, but sometimes we lost touch for a couple months.

I knew that him and Mary argued, but I never imagined they would be separated. After trying to reach Fred a couple times, I took it upon myself to move back home. I put it off for a couple months until I could find Evan a home, and now that I did, I put in ny two weeks notice at work.

I waved Evan off as he climbed into the van with his new family and I have Mr. and Mrs. Peterson a piece of paper with my number and soon-to-be new address on it. I went inside my house after they left and I went to the kitchen, where a certain somebody was drinking a cup of coffee.

"Leaving is always the toughest part, believe me." Bobby took a sip of his drink as I sat down in front of him.

Bobby Mercer was my friend.

Sort of.

We were like friends with benefits. I met him when some jerk tried to steal my purse in the parking lot of the grocery store. Bobby took it back and told the kid not to mess with me, because I was with the Mercers, which I soon came to learn, was an infamous name across Detroit.

Bobby had a mother once, who adopted him from the system when he was twelve. In 2005 she was shot and killed, and as the rumor goes, Bobby and his brothers took out vengeance to those who ended their mother's life.

Bobby and his brothers were all adopted. He was Caucasian, stocky, and extremely muscular. He had slicked back hair, a 'don't-fuck-with-me' walk, and a tattoo on his upper back that said No Mercy. I met his brothers once. Jeremiah was African-American, same as Angel, and they were both married. Jerry was married to a woman named Camille, and he had two daughters. Angel, an ex-Marine was married to a fiery woman named Sofi, and they lived alone without kids. There was another brother once. His name was Jack. Bobby told me that he was killed in a drive-by only a couple weeks after their mom died. He was only 23.

Initially, I was put off by Bobby. He was crass, bold, and downright vulgar. He was too much like someone else I knew...but he had a heart of gold that he liked to hide underneath his tough exterior. He helped me learn my way around Detroit and what to do to make a foster child feel welcome. His tips always worked. One day, after a particularly tearful goodbye to one of the kids who had gone to live with their new parents, Bobby came over. One thing led to another and the next thing I know, I'm waking up the following morning with a strong headache and a naked Bobby next to me.

We kept it casual from there on out though. He had too many demons, as did I.

Still, it was nice to let go once and a while.

Bobby had a key to my place, so he came in this morning through the back.

I gave him a half-hearted smile. "Letting them leave is probably harder."

Bobby put his cup down and said, "You're doing the right thing. Now onto something less depressing, is it true you're leaving?"

I sighed. "Yeah. It's time to go."

Bobby shook his head and crossed his arms. "That ain't right. You belong here."

I stood up and put Bobby's cup in the sink. "No, I don't. Not anymore. I need to go back home."

I heard Bobby get up from behind me and I felt his lips on my neck.

"This is your home."

I turned around and pressed my lips to his. "My brother needs me.", I whispered, "Do you understand?"

Bobby gave an irritated sigh and mumbled, "Yeah, I guess."

I hugged him, and for a second he stiffened, but relaxed into my embrace anyway. "I'll miss you."

"Yeah. Same for me."

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Bobby helped me pack up my things over the course of the next week. I didn't have much, so all of it fit inside of my car, whereas some of it fit on top of the car. Before I left I turned around and gave Bobby Mercer one last hug.

His muscular arms squeezed me tightly and I pulled away.

"Do you have my number?"

"Yeah."

"And my email?"

"Got it."

"Do you have my new address?"

Bobby held up a folded piece of yellow paper and smirked. "Right here."

I got behind the wheel of my car and Bobby shut the door behind me.

"Are you sure you want to leave?"

I gave him a sad smile. "I've been gone long enough, it's time I went back and faced my demons."

There was a pause before Bobby said, "You want to fuck one last time?"

"...Sure." I pulled the keys from the ignition and followed Bobby back into the house.

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I pulled up to my new house, on the outskirts of town, settled on the edge of the Sweetwater River.

It was a mill once, but it was renovated into a house sometime long ago. It was abandoned for eight years now and a bit run down. I bought it with the intention to fix it up.

It was brick and stone on the outside and two stories.

I got out of my blue 1974 Plymouth Barracuda and took out a box from the passenger seat. I reached into my pocket for my keys and unlocked the door to my new place.

The inside was dusty and the old owners left a couple pieces of furniture. There was an old couch, a table, and a vanity in the upstairs bedroom. The mill, though old, worked, so there was a constant water splashing noise, which was calming.

The box I held contained cleaning supplies. I took out a collapsible broom, mop, and bucket. I went over to the kitchen sink to fill the bucket up with water. The pipes in the house creaked and groaned at their sudden usage, and then a spurt of cold brown water exited from the faucet. After a moment, the brown faded away to clear, and steam rose from the water. Humming, I filled the bucket up with water and I took a bottle of Pine Sol into it.

It was quiet as I set about clearing the house of dust, cobwebs, and the occasional bug. By the time night fell, the house was lit up, and everything was clean. I sat on the ground and looked around, surrounded by the boxes I eventually took out from the car. I definitely needed to paint in here and fix some of the windows of their cracks. I had to polish the floor, and install a ceiling fan in each of the rooms.

Overall though, it was nice.

My stomach growled and I stood up, taking my keys with me. I got in my car and drove to Pop's. As I parked the car, my mind went back to my first memory. It took place here.

 _"Okay. I have one burger, with a side of fries. One ice cream sundae, no nuts. One coffee, black. And one peanut butter and chocolate milkshake, with a cherry on top." Pop smiled at our family as he placed our food in front of us._

 _"Enjoy." "Thank you!" We each said._

 _I dug into my sundae as my brother started to slurp his milkshake. My father ate his burger, while my mom sipped her coffee._

 _"What kind of milkshake is that?"_

 _Our family looked up to see a small boy, holding his father's hand, staring at us with wide brown eyes._

 _Fred grinned. "It's peanut butter and chocolate, my favorite."_

 _The boy looked up at his dad and smiled, "Dad, can I have one of those?"_

 _The father rumpled te boy's hair and showed him a strained smile. "Of course, son."_

 _The boy jumped up and down excitedly. "My name's Forsythe Pendleton Jones, but you can call me F.P.! What's your name?"_

 _Fred sat up straight and laughed. "I'm Frederick, but everyone calls me Fred. Your name is F.P.? That's so neat! I've met A.J.'s and C.J.'s and D.W.'s but never an F.P. You must be really unique, huh?"_

 _Our dad's chuckled at the antics of their sons. My dad stood up and shook hands with F.P.''s dad._

 _F.P. took no notice though. "Are you going to start Kindergarten, because I am!"_

 _Fred nodded with a lot of enthusiasm. "Uh huh! I'm going to be in Miss Maxwell's class. That's Room 2._

 _"I'm going to be in her class too!"_

 _F.P. stopped jumping and he looked over at me. "Why are there no nuts in your sundae?"_

 _I stopped eating and looked at this intrusive young boy curiously. "Because I don't like nuts."_

 _"Why not?"_

 _I shrugged and went back to eating._

 _The boys kept on talking and eventually, my dad and F.P.'s made a playdate for F.P. and Fred. A playdate that would be the domino that started a reaction to what would be their friendship._

 _I was only four, but even then I knew that F.P. Jones was here to stay._

I got out of my car, making my way into the diner. I sat at one of the stools.

A lady I had never seen before, was wearing a yellow dress, stood in front of me and popped a piece of bubblegum. "What'll you be having, sweetheart?"

I was about to answer when a voice said, "Let me guess: A cheeseburger, onion rings with ranch, and a Coca-Cola. Am I right?"

I turned my barstool around and I beamed at the elderly man standing behind me.

"Pop!"

Pop chuckled deeply and opened his arms out to me. I hugged him and laughed. "Pop, you've gone grey!"

Pop laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Making burgers for over forty years will do that to a man."

I giggled. "It looks good. Very natural." Pop smiled and said, "Of course! A few years won't let the charm die down on this old man."

I grinned and sat back down as Pop made his way behind the counter. "Are you visiting?"

I shook my head. "Nah. I've come back. I bought the Mill."

Pop, who was busy filling up my glass with soda, stopped and stared at me with wide eyes. "So that was you who bought it?"

I nodded and he chuckled. He set my soda in front of me and said, "You always liked older things."

"Yeah, I do. Speaking of older things, did you get the spices I sent you for your birthday?"

Pop grinned and swung a rag onto his shoulder. "I did."

"And how did they come out?"

"Great! I used then for a specialty burger, for about a month. It was hit."

I took a sip of my soda and gulped it down. "That's great!"

Pop turned around took the cheeseburger and onion rings with a side of ranch from the chef, and set down in front of me.

"It's on the house, just this once. Welcome home, Aggie."

I smiled at the elderly man . "It's great to be back, Pop."

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After finishing my food and leaving Pop Tate a generous tip, I drove to my brother's house.

I took a deep breath before I exited the car, loudly shutting the door behind me.

I walked up to the door and knocmed three times.

A red haired teen answered, and looked at me confused. "Can I help you?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Really, you don't remember me? Well, to be fair, the last time I saw you was Easter of 2008. You've grown up on me, Archie."

Archie's eyebrows shot up and his mouth opened wide in shock. "Aunt Aggie?!"

I spread my arms out wide and dropped them to my sides. "The one and only. I'd be disappointed if you forgot about me. After all, I remember you every holiday and birthday."

Archie opened the door a bit wide and let me in. 'I thought you lived in New York."

I rolled my eyes. "I can see how well my brother has been at getting the facts straight. I've been living in Detroit for the past several years."

"Archie, who are you talking to?"

Fred came into the room, drying his hands with a dish towel. He stopped suddenly and gave me the same wide eyed look his son had given me earlier. His eyebrows shot into his receded hairline and his mouth dropped open. If I wasn't so nervous, I'd laugh at the comedic timing of his reaction.

"Aggie, what are you doing here?"

I gave my big brother a sad smile. "What? No hug for your little sister?"

Fred shook his head, quickly hugged me, and stepped back. I sighed as he gave me a look that expected an answer.

"A couple months ago, I took a weekend trip to Chicago. I ran into Mary."

Archie crossed his arms and his eyebrows furrowed together. "Mom? That's where she is?"

I looked at my nephew. Fred took the hint and looked at Archie. "Son, why don't you go put the dishes away? I need to talk to your aunt privately."

Archie looked between us then said, "Alright. Have fun." Once he left and the sound of pots and pans clanging together filled the room, I resumed speaking.

I continued. "She told me that she lived there now. I asked her if you guys were with her, she said no. I put two and two together. I tried to call you, but you never answered."

Fred looked sheepish. "I shattered my phone at work. I had to get a new one with a new number."

"I bought the Mill. I'm moving back." I cut right to the chase.

Fred sudden became rigid. "Gee, do you think that's a good idea? Considering all that's happened?"

I put my palm out to stop him from talking. "I'm done with the past. He's moved on. I know."

Fred gave me a sad look. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I already am. Let's leave the past where it belongs, 'Kay?"

"As long as you're sure. If it's any consolation, I don't even talk to him anymore. We had a falling out some years back. If being back here is too stressful or painful, I'll understand if you'd want to leave."

"I came here to help you with Archie and anything else you need. I'm fine, really!" The last part was a lie.

"Are you positive?"

"Absolutely." Another lie.

To those reading this story, I want you to know something.

I have a past connected to this town, like so many.

But unlike them, mine was riddled with betrayal, heartbreak, and death.

I knew about the darkness of Riverdale before the events of July 4th.

Let me formally introduce myself.

My name is Aggatha Jane Andrews.

Most people call me Aggie.

This is the story of how I became the scarred ex-wife of F.P. Jones.

 **I saw there wasn't many F.P./OC stories, so I decided to write one. Mark Wahlberg is the face claim for Bobby (who will play an important part in this story) and Amy Adams is the face claim for Aggie. Please review and let me know your thoughts!**


	2. Welcome Back Aggie and Memories

**Disclaimer: I only own Aggie, and not Riverdale. :(**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale 2016

I spent the night in my car.

I hadn't set up my bed.

The sunshine and brisk morning air woke me up. I was groggy and I sat up, rubbing my eyes to wake them up.

I scratched my head.

There was a list of things to do. I had to go buy some paint, look for a window repair man, order some cable and internet, set up the house, buy groceries, and go to Fred's for dinner.

I went into my house and found my purple suitcase. I got out an overall dress, a white shirt, some leggings, and a pair of sneakers. I got myself dressed, unwilling to take a shower when there was so much that needed to be done.

I grabbed my red sweater and my keys.

First, I drove out of town. I knew Riverdale had a grocery store, but I liked going to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for the stuff that would make my house into a home. I pulled into the parking lot and went inside, grabbing a basket on the way.

As I was entering the store, I saw a mother with a little girl exit. The little girl was tugging at her mother's arm, pleading with her.

"Please Mom?"

"I said No!"

"But I behaved!"

"We're going to meet your father for lunch right now. It'll spoil your appetite."

"You never let me have the food I want!"

"Donuts are not food!"

My mind raced back to another memory.

 _"Hey-ho! Breakfast time everybody!". I could here my brother's voice from downstairs._

 _I stretched and threw the covers off of me. Leaving my room, I came to the banister, sliding down and running to the dining room. Two big pink boxes were opened up, filled with a variety of donuts and pastries._

 _I smiled widely. "This is our breakfast?" My dad walked past me, rumpling my messy red hair as he took a sip of coffee._

 _"Yup. First day of school means something special for breakfast."_

 _I looked at my brother who was sitting down on a stool and already scarfing down his third donut. "Please don't eat all the donuts, Freddy! I know you're going into eighth grade, but leave some for the rest of us."_

 _Fred swallowed what was in his mouth and a took a huge gulp of milk. "Hey! The donuts were my idea. I can eat as many as I want!"_

 _I put my hands on my hips as I insepcted the boxes. "Did you get any that I like?"_

 _I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see F.P. in his usual flannel shirt and backwards ball cap holding a chocolate old-fashioned on a napkin in his hands. His brown eyes averted my gaze as he gave me the treat._

 _"I got you chocolate. I knew it was your favorite."_

 _Blushing slightly, I took a bite of the donut. "Thanks F.P.!"_

 _F.P. scratched the back of his head as he turned his back to me, grabbing a buttermilk bar as he left the room. "Any time, Aggie."_

Coming back to reality, I shook my head. Now was not the time to reminisce. I pushed my cart through the aisles, grabbing what I needed. When I came to the aisle that had a bunch of towels I stood there, staring at what color I wanted.

Deciding on a variety of colors, I out them in. For the next hour I perused the store, filling the shopping cart with rugs, blankets, a lamp, a shower curtain, and some new cookware. I went up to the register to pay.

Once I was done, I went to a hardware store to grab some paint.

I wanted my house to be happy, but not whimsical. I stood there in the paint aisle, thinking about what color I wanted the living room to be when another memory hit me out of nowhere.

 _"I NEVER KNEW WHAT I MISSED UNTIL I KISSED YA! HOW COULD I RESIST UNTIL I KISSED YA?" I was bellowing a song from the Everly Brothers on the Oldies station. In my hand was roller coated in burnt orange paint, going up and down as it changed the color of the wall._

 _The radio was on and my red hair was tied up in a ponytail and bandana. The front of my black t-shirt was splattered with flecks of paint, as was the legs of my jeans._

 _I wiggled around like a spazz as I bopped my head to the beat of the music. My Dad was fishing with his friends, Mom was at the Salon getting her hair done, and Freddy was at the baseball field with some friends._

 _I was alone, painting my room a new color. My parents said I could paint it, but I would have to do all the work. I would have to buy the paint, the painting supplies, the tarp to cover the floor, all of it. To make the money, I spent the last month of summer before Freshman year doing odd jobs around Riverdale. I walked people's dogs, ran errands for the elderly, sold pies I had made, and swept up after hours at Pop's. It all culminated in the amount I needed._

 _Now that I had the money, I just needed to pick out the color._

 _This is the part that had me stumped._

 _There were so many colors that I liked, and from there, so many beautiful shades to choose from. How could I possibly decide?_

 _Well, as the green summer leaves turned to the shades of my favorite season, I knew what color I wanted to pick._

 _Or should I say colors._

 _The walls would be opposite shades of orange. Two of the walls would be light and the other two dark. Then I bought four small cans of yellow, red, brown, and black paint. I decided to randomly sponge the yellow, red, and brown onto the walls. Then with the black paint, I would have Freddy draw some crows taking flight and paint them in._

 _I was painting the last wall, a light orange one, when I heard someone open and close the door downstairs._

 _I yelled at them above the loud music that was playing. "Mom, is that you? Dad said he would be back by four!"_

 _I paid no mind as the song switched to Easy by the Commodores. I hummed along as I finished up the second coating in the wall. The footsteps stopped in front of my door._

 _"Mama! Do you like- Oh! Hi, F.P."_

 _F.P. was in a plain white shirt, jeans, and converse. A red ball cap was placed on his head, backwards as always, and he held an amused smile on his face. He is brown eyes shifted as he looked at my room._

 _He whistled. "Wow. You did a nice job."_

 _I set the roller down in the tray of paint and I walked beside him. I put my hands my hips, admiring the work I had done so far._

 _"Thanks!" I turned in front of him and crossed my arms. "So, what brings you here?"_

 _F.P. shrugged. "My old man didn't need help fixing up the car after all. I thought I could stop by, see if Fred wanted to do something."_

 _I walked over to the small cans of brown, yellow, and red paint. "He told me he was going to be in the park today, playing baseball. He left a couple hours ago." I grunted as I tried to open up the paint._

 _"Here, let me help you." F.P. pushed my hand out of the way and took a knife out of his pocket. He swiftly popped the lid open. "Do you have one of those wooden sticks to mix the paint?"_

 _I grabbed one and beamed at him. "Yup." He grinned at me, showing off his white row of teeth. "Thanks." He mixed the paint. F.P. popped the lids open of the other cans and mixed them with the other sticks as well._

 _I stood up and lightly nudged his arm with my elbow. "Thanks."_

 _F.P. stood up and looked around my room. "You know, the game's already well in and my day is free. How about I help you finish your room?"_

 _I blushed and shook my head. "Oh no! That's okay. Anyway, my parents told me that I had to do it by myself."_

 _F.P. smirked and walked past me, turning up the radio. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU! THE RADIO IS TOO LOUD." He grabbed a small brush and was about to dip it in the yellow paint tray. I immediately grabbed his arm and switched it out for a sponge. F.P. looked at me quizzically. I silently demonstrated to him how I wanted the walls sponged._

 _F.P. grinned and stood beside me, painting as we listened to the rest of Easy by the Commodores._

I sighed as I quickly picked out a nice green shade for the living room, a blue shade for my room, and a dark turquoise color for the bathroom. I threw brushes, rollers, trays, painter's tape, and a tarp into the basket. I paid for it and left the store.

Deciding that I didn't want any more onslaught of memories, I just went home. Once I arrived, I noticed a certain red-haired teenager standing on my frontstep with a blonde haired girl. I shut off my engine, pocketed my keys, and got out to greet my nephew.

"Archie, may I ask what you're doing here?" Archie looked sheepish as he said, "Dad told me come over and help you unpack." Glancing over to the girl beside him, I nodded my head in her direction. "Who's the prep?" The girl turned a bit red but smiled and grabbed my hand, shaking it. "Hi, I'm Betty."

Removing my hand from her grasp I took a step back and said, "Okay. Nice to meet you. Listen, don't you kids have anything better to do than helping me on a Saturday?"

Both kids looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, not really."

I rolled my eyes and opened the front door. "Fine. Go get the bags from the car. I need to make a few calls."

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"You'll be able to come on Tuesday? Great. What? No, I don't want the Premium Package, I just want Starz and HBO, no other fancy channel. What? Is is? Oh, I guess I'll have the Premium Package then. Thanks. 12:45 on Tuesday. See you then."

I ended the call with the cable company.

"Hey, Miss Andrews, do you want me to wash these plates before I put them away?" Betty held up some plates that were packed in one of the boxes.

"No Betty, that's okay. I washed them before I packed them." She smiled at me and went into the kitchen to put the plates away in the cabinet.

Archie came bounding down the stairs, looking a bit exhausted. "Aunt Aggie, I put together the bed."

I went over to the sofa and opened up the box. "Thanks, Wingnut."

Archie turned red and went into the kitchen to help Betty with the eating utensils and other plates.

I took out some pictures and set them down as I made my way into the kitchen, opening up the draw that had nails and a hammer.

"Betty, would you mind helping me with these pictures? Archie can finish up in here." Betty, who was putting away a plate, nodded.

She followed me to the living room. I stood in a chair as she helped me by giving me a nail when I needed it.

"Miss Andrews, where did you get all of these photos? They're beautiful." She examined each frame, carefully running her dainty fingers over the glass surface.

I jumped down from the chair and took the photo she was looking at. It was of light crystal blue waters and a white sandy beach. The island has tropical green trees and an idyllic hut settle between the beach and trees. "That was in Kiribati, or Kiribaas as the locals call it."

Betty looked at me with wide green eyes. "Did you take this photo?"

I gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah. I lived there for three years. It was nice. There wasn't a morning that I didn't wake up thankful for where I was." I got up on the chair and hung it up. Betty held the next photo up. "Did you take this one too?"

I jumped down again. Betty held up the picture for me to see. "That was at my Alma Matter, University of Glasgow." The picture was of a castle-like structure during an overcast day.

"Wow! This looks like Hogwarts." I laughed and admired it. "Yeah, it does. It was hell trying to navigate my way through those halls for the first couple weeks."

Betty put it down and as she went through all the pictures. "Did you really visit all of these places?" I nodded and her mouth fell open. "This is amazing! I've never even been out of state." Betty set each one down after she would finish examining it and she went through all of them, she gazed starstruck.

"Now imagine growing up and getting a cool present every year from some other country." Archie came into the room and grinned. He looked up at the wall and his eyebrows furrowed. "Hey, weren't you going to paint the walls in here?"

I became sheepish and mumbled, "Oh yeah. I forgot about that." I went and took down the pictures and nails.

Archie snorted. "Yeah right. You just wanted to brag about where you've been." I rolled my eyes and lightly smacked the back of my nephew's head. He chuckled.

"No, I just wanted to get them up. They mean so much to me..."

My phone started to ring and I looked at the pair of teens. "It's probably the window repair man. Betty, could you please put those back in the box for me?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks. This'll just take a minute." I went outside and answered the call.

"Hi, Mr. Handy? I called earlier and left a message. I need a couple windows in my house repaired and I wanted to know what the going rate was for a replacement."

"I'm not . I mean, I can work well with my hands, you of all people should know this."

I recognized the deep voice of the caller and looked down at the caller I.D.. Sure enough, Michigan Mauler came right up. "Bobby?"

"Yeah."

"You're calling me?"

"Yeah."

"You never call me. Is something wrong?"

His voice held a sarcastic tone as he answered, "Aside from you leaving? Nothing at all."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sat down on the hood of my car. "Bobby...I told you why I needed to leave. My brother needs me here."

"Did he say that?"

I was taken aback. "What?"

"Did your brother say he needed you there?"

"Well no-"

"Then how do you know, you're not just being intrusive? Your brother is a grown man who can take care of himself. What you need to do is come back home..."

"Bobby...now is not the time. I'll call your later. Bye." I hung up and gave out a frustrated yell. I hated it whenever Bobby got this way. He never said what he wanted until the most inopportune time.

I was about to go inside when a car pulled up.

A blonde haired woman exited and my mouth immediately flipped into a frown, my mood becoming sour. I took note of the resemblance between this woman who was walking in front of me and the girl who was inside. In the woman's hand was a pie.

The woman stopped in front of me and gave me a sickly sweet artificial smile. "Hello Aggie." She placed the pie into my hands. "I made this for you, hope you don't mind cherry. I thought that I should take you a pie when I went to go pick up my daughter. Think of it as a welcome back gift to Riverdale."

I raised an eyebrow and ground out, "Good to see you again, Alice."

 **Alright! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would really appreciate it if you could leave me a review and tell me what you think! :D**


	3. Confronting Alice and Telling Archie

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _"Aggie." I stared in the mirror horrified at my appearance. Two months into the seventh grade, I had braces. And not the type that was cute. It was head gear._

 _That's right._

 _Headgear._

 _It was bad enough that I wore glasses, but braces too?_

 _"Aggie!"_

 _My brother had been trying to grab my attention for a while now. I slowly turned to him, pale and shaking._

 _"It's not that bad, right?" I stared at Fred, hopeful that he would agree._

 _Fred opened and closed his mouth several times, but he finally rubbed the back of his brunette head and replied, "It's...it's...". He failed to say anything more._

 _I burst into tears, as I went back to staring at my reflection. "I'll be made fun of. Alice already calls me a troll...what do you think she'll say after she sees me in this?!"_

 _Fred came over and gave me an awkward pat on the back. "It's okay, sis. If she says anything I'll tell her-"_

 _"To shut her fucking mouth."_

 _F.P. was laying down on my bed, and throwing his red cap up in the air and catching in a repeated motion. He caught his hat, sat up, put it on, and walked over to stand beside me. He stared into the same mirror I was, and he gave me a small smile._

 _I wiped my eyes and sniffed. "Look at me, F.P.! I'm like the ugly duckling. She's going to make fun of me and then everyone will. Do you really think she'll be quiet if you told her to?"_

 _F.P. sighed and put a hand on my shoulder. "You're not an ugly duckling...you're just going through an awkward stage like the rest of us. And don't worry about Alice, I'll take care of the bitch."_

 _Fred widened his brown eyes and stepped between F.P. and me. "Woah, woah, woah. You're not going to hurt her, are you?"_

 _F.P. smirked. "Nah, I'm just gonna have a chat with her."_

 _"About what?"_

 _"Let's just say I know a couple things about her that you don't, my friend. Things she wouldn't want being made public."_

 _Fred became worried. "F.P. don't take this too far..."_

 _F.P. gestured to me and said, "Look at your sister! Look at how scared she is! We should've done something about this sooner. It's not good for her to worry in her condition."_

 _"Having braces is not a condition!"_

 _"Dude, I'm talking about her anxiety. Do you really want her to suffer any longer than she already has?"_

 _My big brother took in my pitiful form, from my stripped turtle neck sweater with overalls, to my glasses and braces._

 _Fred became thoughtful. Lastly, he looked over at my blotchy face and red eyes. Fred's eyes became hard, then he said, "Fine. But be careful."_

 _F.P. rolled up the sleeves to his blue flannel shirt and rubbed his hands together. "This is gonna be good."_

 _I wiped my eyes and I looked at my brother and his best friend. "Please just forget it...I don't want you getting in trouble because of me."_

 _Fred rumpled my hair and gave me a warm gaze with his brown eyes. "You're worth the trouble, you little duckling."_

 _F.P. hugged me and whispered into my ear, "If it helps, you've never been an ugly duckling to me. You will always be a swan."_

 _I gave him a watery smile and whispered, "Thank you, F.P. "_

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

To say I disliked Alice Cooper would be an understatement.

I fucking hated her.

I know it seemed petty to hate someone based on their past misdeeds, but imagine growing up and having kids be afraid of you because _someone_ said that you stole souls.

Imagine going through middle school and being called a Troll by that same person.

Or imagine going through high school and being called a tramp, because you tutored that person's boyfriend in English.

At least Alice had the decency to level me up from troll to tramp.

I went inside my house before Alice could, and I called Betty through gritted teeth. "Betty, your mom is here to pick you up."

Betty was putting some decor pillows on the couch, when she stood up and crossed her arms over her pink sweater.

"She is?" I nodded as Alice entered into my home, eyeing the place as if she was inspecting it. "My, my. When I heard someone bought this dump, I thought they were out of their mind. But when I heard it was you-"

I quickly interjected her. "Where did you hear that I bought this place?"

Alice raised an eyebrow, nearly to her blonde hairline, and said, "Oh Aggie. You forget how small this town can be when it comes to privacy. And natrually, stories like this make for interesting headlines in the paper."

My blue eyes buldged out of my head as my mouth dropped open in shock. "The paper? What paper?"

Betty, sensing the tension, stood next to her mom and gave me a gentle smile. "My mom is a writer for the Riverdale Register. She's always looking for the next big article...well if you would be okay with it that is."

I motioned Archie over to me, and I gave him the pie. "Can you be a dear and put that on the counter for me? Thanks." As Archie retreated away, I put my hands on my hips and pursed my lips. "My moving back here is not a story. I wanted to be away from Riverdale and the Southside, so I bought this house, all the way out in the woods, to give me that privacy. My life is not an article for you to author."

Alice stood in her black skirt and pink blouse, narrowing her eyes at the sheer audaciousness of me even putting my foot down. "Well...think about it, alright? Because, even if I don't publish that article, certain people will eventually hear about your return. I can think of one person in particular who would be intrigued to read about you being back."

My blood started to boil and I stepped up in front of Alice. "Shut the hell up, Alice and get out of my house. If you so much as publish one word about me in that newspaper of yours, I'll have it shut down faster than you can say 'legal violation'."

Alice looked at her daughter, and using a firm tone she sharply said, "Betty, go wait by the car." Betty's eyes darted between us and she hesitantly nodded, leaving the house.

Alice stepped closer to me and whispered, "Don't you ever threaten me in front of my daughter again."

My nose twisted into a snarl. "Or what Alice? You'll spread rumors about me? If that's all you're good for, you really need to grow up. I'm not the same girl who's life you ruined back then. If you come at me, I'll make your life a living hell."

Alice chuckled darkly and put her hands in her hips. "That's just like a Serpent thing to do: threatening people."

"Ignoring the fact that your statement is inaccurate, I will say this: It takes one to know one, Alice."

Alice suddenly shut her mouth and stepped back from me. She seemed surprised that I held that information. "What-"

I stood up straight and glared the clean-cut prissy woman down. "That's right. He told me...way back when. You may not have be with them now, but with all the shit you've pulled, I wouldn't be surprised if you still slither about. And so help me, if he or anyone else finds out I'm back by an article in that newspaper of yours, I'll buy it just so I can burn it to the fucking ground. Now get out!"

Alice didn't say a word as she gave me one last dirty look, before she left, slamming the door shut. As soon as I heard the car wheels of her vehicle leave my property, I let out a breath of relief.

Honestly, if I had known Betty was Alice's daughter, I would have never of let her in my house. She was a nice girl, but her mother...ugh!

I sat down on the sofa and laid my head back, closing my eyes.

Fucking Riverdale.

Now I was starting to remember why I had left...you see, Alice Cooper didn't just ruin my life back during our school years. She did something after I had graduated, something that was the final descion of me leaving my hometown for a long time. I had heard that she married Hal, but I didn't know if they had kids or not...

"Aunt Aggie?" I opened one eye to see Archie giving me a glass of water and two Advil. I took it from him graciously, muttering a low, "Thanks, Wingnut."

I took the pills and a sip of water, closing my eyes again.

It was quiet before I heard Archie ask, "Hey, I know this is none of my business and you don't have to tell me, but...who were you talking about?"

I opened my eyes and saw Archie sitting down in front of me, on the rug I had just bought that morning. "Huh?"

Archie looked sincere as he said, "You mentioned that you didn't want some guy to find out you were back. Who did you not want finding out?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course Archie was eavesdropping. He was right in the kitchen after all. I sat up and put my hands over my face, running them down before taking a breath. "Pretty much half of the Southside. That's who I don't want to find out about my return. Because if one Southsider found out I was back, then word will eventually get around to the one person I absolutely do not want to see again."

Archie's thick brown eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as he asked, "Who?"

I crossed my arms and looked away from him. "I'm not going to name any names...but you're old enough now that I can tell you..." I took a breath and whispered in a shaky voice, "I have an ex who lives around here."

Archie's brown eyes widened. "You have an ex-boyfriend here?"

I shook my head and corrected him. "No, not an ex-boyfriend. I have an ex-husband, who lives in the Southside."

Archie looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "Oh. My. God. Does Dad know?!"

I chuckled at his innocence and nodded. "Yeah...he knows. He was actually the witness when we got married."

"Witness? Don't you mean best man?"

"No, I mean witness. Best Man and Maid of Honor are usually titles reserved for those who are in a wedding party. But I never had a wedding. I went to the courthouse and got married there."

Archie stood up and sat next to me on the couch. "Why didn't you have a wedding?"

I shrugged. "Because I got married when I was 18 and I didn't see the point in having one. I wanted a marriage, not a wedding. He wanted the same..."

Archie put his hand over his mouth, shocked at my confession. "You were 18?!"

I turned red from embarrassment. "Yeah...I graduated early and two weeks later I was getting hitched."

"Was Gram and Gramps okay with it?"

I smiled, thinking back to how (after the initial shock of it all) my parents seemed happy for us. Dad even said he saw this coming for a long time. "Yeah, they were okay with it."

Archie put his hand down and said, "Wow. How long were you married for?"

I tried to think back to that time, ignoring all the pain that came with those old memories. "We were married for about ten months and then we were seperated for two months. The marriage was annulled by the time our first anniversary came around."

Archie seemed deep in thought. "Annulled? Doesn't that mean-"

"As if it had never taken place." My voice came out in a whisper. Tears started to sting my eyes as a painful thought came back to me.

 _I took off early from my shift at Pop's so I could come home and get everything all set up before F.P. came home._

 _Home._

 _Our home._

 _It was in the woods on the Southside. It was a little yellow house F.P. had bought. He had saved money for a new bike, but instead bought a little house that was in need of fixing. For four weeks, we worked endlessly with Fred and my parents, fixing up our house. What was once a run down shack, became a quaint little house, painted yellow with white shutters and a blue fence. There was two bedrooms, a nice kitchen, and a dining/living room._

 _We made that house into our home. Yes, it stood out tremendously, but F.P. put me in charge of painting it, so I chose a soft shade of yellow._

 _I cleaned everything up, set the table, and took a shower. Afterwards, I put on a casual dress. It was short sleeved, knee-length, navy blue with little white flowers printed onto it. I even put up my hair into a twisted bun._

 _I took a basket and pulled all of my clothing off of the clothesline outside._

 _I hummed as I went into our bedroom, and dumped the clothes on our bed about to fold them._

 _A shirt fell off the bed, and when I went to grab it. When I picked it up, I noticed something on the ground, under the corner of the bed._

 _I disregarded the shirt as I picked up the thing that caught my attention._

 _A condom._

 _A used condom._

 _F.P. and I hadn't been intimate in several months, and when we were, we didn't really use protection._

 _My discovery struck me like lightning and I staggered back._

 _At that moment, I heard the door open and a voice call out, "Aggs, you home?" I heard his keys get placed on the table, the fridge open and close, and then his footsteps come to the door of our bedroom._

 _"Aggs...are you okay?" I was staring at the condom and F.P. came into view._

 _He looked as handsome as ever. His light brown hair slicked back, his usual flannel shirt underneath his Serpent jacket. He was wearing his favorite pair of jeans and black boots. In his hand was a beer bottle._

 _F.P.'s brown eyes looked down at my hand._

 _"Oh shit." He mumbled, backing up from me, setting the bottle on the small round table near the door._

 _I didn't say anything as I went to our closet and grabbed my old purple suitcase._

 _F.P. began to speak quietly._

 _"Aggs...I've never lied to you before, so I won't do it now. That used condom is mine."_

 _Hot tears spilled out of my eyes as I shut my eyes tightly, putting my hands over my mouth to quiet a choked sob._

 _When they opened, utter rage consumed me._

 _I grabbed the thing nearest to me (which was the beer bottle) and I threw it hard at him. The b_ _eer bottle shattered at the wall as F.P. ducked. The smell of dinner, a roast I was working on all day, wafted into the air. I had made it in celebration of him getting a promotion at the garage he was working at._

 _"I FUCKING HATE YOU!" I screamed, chucking a book, that was also on the table, in his direction. All of my clothes were piled on our bed, waiting to be folded but I had no care._

 _He ducked from it, letting it hit the lamp behind him, and glared at me. "You knew this was over...it's been over."_

 _I sobbed as I hastily packed all of my clothes into the purple suitcase. "After everything we've been through...I can't believe you would do this."_

 _F.P. had his hands in his pockets as he turned away from me. "I'm sorry about you finding out this way, but not about doing it."_

 _I stopped packing as my body started to shake. I realized what I had done. I've never been violent before. F.P. and I had arguments in the past, but nothing too bad. Nothing like this and our arguments never turned physically violent._

 _No...it couldn't end this way._

 _Not after everything._

 _I rushed over to the end of the bed, where F.P. had his back turned, and I hugged him as my tears wet the back of his leather jacket._

 _His smell, the scent of gasoline, freshly cut wood, and whiskey filled my nostrils. "I'm sorry for yelling..and for throwing things...I don't hate you. We can work this out, please! We can fix it. I don't want to lose you." My voice became small as I cried into the back of F.P.'s signature Southside Serpent jacket.. My arms clung tightly to his middle, refusing to let go._

 _F.P.'s hands went over my own, and for a moment, stayed there._

 _Then, he took my arms off of him and he mumbled, "There's nothing to work out. There's nothing to fix. Not anymore. It's over Aggie, we're done."_

 _He left the room, not once looking back. I heard the screen door slam shut and the engine to his motorcycle revving up, before the thunderous sound of it faded off into the distance._

 _I collapsed onto the floor, crying my eyes out._

 _By the time F.P. returned to our home that evening, the smell of dinner was one of burnt meat, and I was already gone._

I snapped out of that memory quickly and wiped a tear that was threatening to spill out.

Archie gave me a sympathetic look. He took my hand in his and said. "Was he...abusive or mean to you? Is that why it didn't work out?"

A shudder went through me as the pain racked my body. "No Archie, he wasn't abusive in any way. He wasn't mean...at least not to me, or any of our family. It didn't work out because...", I took a long sigh before continuing, "...he cheated on me."

 **There you have it! Please, if you like this story, give me a review! Four reviews, that's all I'm asking for (lol see what I did there?) Reviews give me inspiration to write, and when I don't see one, I literally think, "Well no one is reading this." And then I cry. :'( Anyways, tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you think what will happen. And also, I need some ideas on how F.P. and Aggie should see each other again after many years apart! :)**


	4. Pictures and Cynicism

Disclaimer: **I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

After telling Archie about my past, I stood up and stretched up my arms above my head, cracking my back.

Archie, was quiet after I had told him of F.P.'s infidelity. Then, my lanky nephew made up of only skin and bones, stood up and said, "Thanks for telling me, Aunt Aggie. I appreciate it."

I rumpled his hair. "You're a good kid, Wingnut. Keep it that way, 'kay? Now, let's finish unpacking. I think your dad is going to cook up his famous broiled steaks."

We worked in silence, putting away what little I had left.

We filled up the bookshelf that was built into the wall next to the fireplace. We unpacked the stuff for my room, set up the guest room with a cot and extra blanket, put old boxes into the attic, and placed random decor pieces all over the house.

After we were done, I looked to the paint and then to the walls of the living room. "What do you think, Wingnut? Should we just leave the walls white?"

Archie glanced around the room and crossed his skinny arms in the front of his green shirt. "Yeah...it actually doesn't look that bad white. But it also wouldn't look bad green either...".

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the table, grabbing the keys. "Kid, text your dad and tell him we're on our way. Oh! And tell him that I'm picking up dessert. How does chocolate pie from Pop's sound?"

Archie pointed in the direction of the kitchen. "Well, what about that one on the counter?"

I quirked an eyebrow and stared at the cherry pie Alice had given me. Briskly walking over, I went over and dumped it into the trash. "It's no good."

I exited the house, with Archie following in tow. "Archie, I can't call because I'm driving, so can you call Pop's and ask him to box up a chocolate pie for me? Thanks."

We drove to Pop's in silence after Archie placed the order. I pulled into the parking lot and removed the keys from ignition. "Be right back, Wingnut."

I got out of the car and closed the door, leaving Archie inside.

I went into Pop's and saw Pop Tate wiping down an empty part of the counter that didn't have people eating on it. I waved to him. "Hey Pop! Did you get my order?"

Pop grinned at me. "Chocolate pie? Is Freddy making his broiled steaks?"

I giggled and nodded. "Yup. Want me to bring you one?"

Pop's deep laughter rumbled out from his chest and shook his head. "No, that's okay. Doctor said I shouldn't be eating much red meat anyhow."

I smiled fondly at the older man. "Okay. If you say so." I pulled out a wallet and exchanged a ten roller bill for a big white box. "Keep the change, Pop."

He held up the dollar appreciably before putting it in the cash register. "Thanks Aggie."

"Any time." I left the diner as the bell behind me run for an order up, and I went back into the car, handing the pie to Archie. "Here, hold this for me, will ya?"

I turned on the car and as I was about to leave, I saw a young couple entering into the shop.

 _I sat down in one of the booths at the end of the shop. I was writing in a notebook, continuing a story I had been writing. Sipping a Coca-Cola float, I heard the bell on the door chime and I looked up to see F.P., Fred, Hermione, and Angela, a girl that was in History with me, enter into the restaurant._

 _F.P. looked amazing and it was funny, because what he was wearing was so simple. His outfit was only a plain white T-shirt, jeans, and boots. His hair was slicked back as usual._

 _I self-consciously looked down at what so was wearing: overalls, a blue shirt, and a black sweater._

 _I went back to looking at the group of them._

 _They were all laughing and making jokes about something._

 _They hadn't noticed my presence and I pulled my blue Padres baseball cap down over my face so they wouldn't see me._

 _The group of them climbed into a booth on the other side of Pop's. I watched as Fred, who had his back to me, wrapped his arm around Hermione. She put her head onto his should and he kissed her head._

 _Then there was F.P. who had was sitting casually next to Angela._

 _I had heard around school that she was crushing on F.P. but I didn't hold those rumors to truth, especially after my own personal experience from them.. But I guess this particular one was true._

 _I frowned as I noticed F.P. smiling at Angela, brushing some of her blonde hair out of eyes, with her blushing._

 _Then, Pop came by and smiled widely at me, holding up a basket of onion rings with a side of ranch. "Okay, Aggie. Onion rings with a side of ranch, here ya go."_

 _F.P. was going to signal Pop, but he caught sight of me. My cheeks reddened and I quickly looked down at my notebook. "Thank you, Pop." I mumbled quietly._

 _Pop's eyes went from me to F.P. and he gave me a gentle look. He nudged me with his elbow and said, "Aggie, you got to tell that boy how you feel. Or else I got to be subject to more of these encounters."_

 _I smiled a tiny bit and shook my head. "Nah...he only sees me as a kid sister."_

 _Pop chuckled and said, "Maybe he does. Maybe he doesn't. You'll never know if you don't talk with him."_

 _I held up an onion ring and bit into it. "Thanks for the rings."_

 _Pop grinned. "Thanks for the entertainment." He then looked towards the door and nodded. "Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."_

 _Pop turned around and clapped F.P. on the shoulder. "Hey there, son. I'm gonna get to your table real soon, I just gotta finish up some orders in the back."_

 _F.P. grinned. "Take your time, Pop."_

 _Pop retreated to the kitchen and F.P. sat down in the seat in front of me. "Hey there."_

 _I slouched down into the red leather seats of the booth and blushed a bit. "Hey...F.P..."_

 _God...I was such a fucking nerd._

 _F.P. gave me a genuine smile, the type that can illuminate a person's face and ignites the light in their eyes, and clasped his hands on the tabletop._

 _"So...why are you here all by yourself?"_

 _My blue eyes darted to my notebook and then to the basket of onion rings._

 _"Just...just getting a bite to eat." I mumbled quietly._

 _F.P. scratched his neck and put his hand back down. "You can join us, if you want."_

 _I shook my head. "No...that's okay! I know you're on a date right now and-"_

 _F.P.'s brown eyes widened along with the incredulous look he gave me. "You think I'm on a real date...with Angela?!" He gave a low chuckle. "No...I'm not on what could be classified as a 'real date'. I'm only with Angela right now, so Fred wouldn't choke while out with Hermione tonight."_

 _I frowned and put a ten dollar bill on the table. Standing up, I grabbed my cross-body bag and gave F.P. a disgusted look. F.P. was looking up at me questionably with those beautiful eyes of his. I looked away from him and muttered. "Angela...she really likes you. Everyone knows it. It's not right to be leading her on if you don't have any real intentions of actually going out with her." Then I added, "Tell Pop to keep the change."_

 _I rushed out of the restaurant, ignoring F.P. as he called o_ _ut my name._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Hey, you brought pie!"

"Yeah, I thought we could use some dessert."

Fred took the box from me as we entered into his house. Archie went upstairs to change his shirt, when he called out from the top of the stairs, "Hey Dad! Jughead just texted and asked if he can come over."

Fred froze. "Tell him not today, we have family over for a visit."

Archie popped his head into view and gave his dad an weird look. "Jughead is always over...like almost every day. And Aunt Aggie isn't visiting. She lives here now, so she's bound to meet him at some point."

I snickered into my hand. "What kind of name is Jughead?"

Archie chuckled and pulled a graphic shirt over his head. "The type of name that fits him." He looked over to Fred. "Dad, c'mon. It's not a big deal-".

Fred's face turned stern. "I said no, Archie. That's the end of it. I like Jughead, but I haven't seen your Aunt Aggie in a very long time, I'd like to catch up with her."

Archie gave me a sly wink then put on a sad face. "He said his dad is at it again...with the drinking. He just wanted to get out of the house, but he doesn't have enough money for a meal at Pop's."

"His dad drinks?" I looked at my big brother wide eyed. "That's horrible. He should come over."

"Aggie...I don't think it's a good idea."

I gave my brother a serious look as I scrunched my eyebrows together and pursed my lips. "Fred...you know that for the past five years I've been helping children and teens by welcoming them into my home. Guess what? Most of the time, they didn't have a great background story. I would feel better if Archie's friend was over here than at his Dad's."

Fred's knuckles turned white as he gripped the white box that contained the pie, visibly looking as if he was being cornered. He shot me a look that was...sympathetic...when he finally relented. "Fine...but if everything goes to hell, I don't want to be blamed! Now I gotta put another steak in the broiler, because Lord knows how much Jughead eats."

Fred grumbled and retreated into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Archie pumped his fist into the air and gave me a hi-five.

"Damn, you're a slick 'lil bastard, aren't ya?" I joked.

Archie gave me a shit-eating grin, then said as innocently as possible, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, if you excuse me, I have potatoes to help mash." He chuckled as he jumped over the banner and walked to the kitchen.

I laughed and made my way upstairs.

I had somewhere I wanted to visit.

Once I walked to the top step, I saw the string hanging from the ceiling. I tugged it, and a ladder came down, leading up to the attic. I walked into the attic and saw a bunch of old stuff in there.

Old chairs, toys, boxes of clothes, bins of Christmas decorations, old pieces of furniture...it all took up space in that dusty old attic. I walked around several boxes, when I went to the back. That's when I saw it.

It was a hard green suitcase that had something scribbled on the top in bold, black letters:

 **A.J.+F.P.**

I lowered myself to my knees and lightly traced it with my fingers.

After my seperation, I asked F.P. to burn all of our memories. I didn't want the reminder of him and me still existing on this Earth.

It wasn't until several years ago that Fred admitted to me that F.P. gave him all of our pictures around that time and asked him to get rid of them. Fred, instead, put them in this suitcase and shoved them under all of this clutter so no one could find them.

He told me that if I ever wanted to take a look at them or take them with me, I was free to do so.

I wouldn't ever be ready to walk down that specific memory lane, and even touching this suitcase, was painful.

But Riverdale was so full of flashbacks by the dozen, that I decided to be in control of what I would remember.

No matter how heartbreaking...

Closing my eyes, I clicked open the suitcase and reached in, taking out one photo.

Only one is what I was able to handle.

Once I shut the suitcase, I opened my eyes and felt them immediately water as the photo from my past haunted me.

It was of me at a junkyard. I was smiling: the type that only girls who are young, happy, and in love wear. My eyes were closed like I was laughing about something really funny. I was wearing a plain light purple spaghetti-strapped sundress. My hair was in a messy bun and was blowing to the left. Behind me, was F.P.. He had his arms wrapped around my waist and had his lips pressed to the crook of my neck. He was grinning. F.P.'s Widow's Peak was slightly crinkled as his grin was full-fledged. He was wearing a white undershirt, with an open blue flannel shirt on top. Our fingers were intertwined and the sunlight gave the picture a glow that only nature could provide.

This picture was the epitome of what love, specifically young love, was supposed to look like.

I hated it.

I wanted to go to the girl in that photo and shake her. I wanted to tell her to get out while she could. I wanted to tell her that even though she loved that boy who held her with every raw fiber of her being, that he would be no good for her, because he would hurt and scar her emotionally for life.

When that picture was taken, it was the week before I would become Mrs. Jones.

Mom wanted some semblance of a normal engagement, so we did an engagement photo shoot at the junkyard because I knew it was the only place F.P. was willing to pose for such lovey dovey pictures. This was the only photo that came out decent, and the only one we had framed up in that little house of ours.

I didn't realize I was crying until a droplet of water landed on my lap.

Quickly wiping my eyes, I put the picture in the pocket of my dress. I grabbed the suitcase and put it back where it belonged. Making my way downstairs, I heard the front door open downstairs. Once I got down the steps, I pushed the ladder up and it closed the way to the attic.

I slid down the banister and hopped down, in front of an emo-looking kid that had an air of cynicism around him. Well, if what Archie says is true, then he probably had every right to be cynical.

I grinned and held out my hand. "Hey! You must be Jughead, Archie's friend. I'm his Aunt Aggie."

Jughead took a step back and cautiously shook my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

My eyes analyzed the teen in front if me. He was lean with raven black hair, his hair underneath a peculiar beanie cap. He was wearing a graphic shirt that said "I Hate Monday's and Your Face", openly covered by a blue long sleeved flannel shirt. He had on regular black jeans and boots, and was carrying a computer bag with him. A black hoodie was tied around his waist.

I worked an eyebrow. "You carry that thing with you wherever you go?"

Jughead rolled his eyes. "Yes. Is that a problem?"

He was being snarky.

I liked that.

I grinned. "No, no. I'm just wondering why. You an avid gamer or something?"

"I happen to be a writer." Jughead deadpanned, crossing his arms in front of him in defiance.

I rubbed the back of my head and smiled. "When I was your age, I was too. Except I used notebooks. We didn't really have laptops growing up."

Jughead snorted. "What did you write? No, wait! Let me guess: Fanfiction?"

I stood up straight and looked the boy in his eyes and said, "Umm, no. I wrote original stories. I've actually become a professional author."

Jughead rolled his eyes once more and grumbled a low, "Yeah right." He started to make his way to the kitchen passing me, when I asked him, "Ever hear of the Everheart Series?"

Jughead whipped around and his eyes narrowed. "If what you're really asking is if I live under a rock, that would be insulting. Yeah, I know that series. Everyone does."

I winked at him and pointed my thumb at my chest. "That's my series."

Jughead's jaw dropped. "No way. You're lying."

I laughed. "No, it's true. The pen name, Elizabeth Greenwood, was a the name I would use when I was little and wanted to act British."

"She's telling the truth." Fred appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and gave me a wary smile. His brown eyes focused on the solemn teenager. "She's only told me so far, and while she can tell other people, " His brown eyes shot to me and I gave him a sheepish look in return, "she chooses not to."

Jughead looked aghast. "Wait...so this is real? You're really Elizabeth Greenwood?!"

I gestured to my person. "In the flesh."

Jughead looked like he was about to freak out, then a level of calmness settled over him before he nodded. "Cool." He nodded to my brother mumbling a, "Thank you for having me over, Mr. A."

Freddy smiled at him and Jughead moved into the kitchen.

Once Jughead was out of view, Fred leaned into me and said in a quiet voice, "Aggie, there's something I need to tell you about Jughead."

I leaned into him and crossed my arms, whispering, "What? Is it that he shops at Hot Topic too much? Because I'm totally getting that vibe from him."

Fred's warm brown eyes became sorry with regret and he replied with, "No. The reason I didn't want him over is the same reason you don't want to go over to the Southside."

"F.P.?" I choked out. I hadn't said his name in over a decade.

All of the breath within me left my body as Fred said, "Jughead's last name is Jones. He's F.P.'s son."

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	5. Of Dinner, Dragons, and The Drive-In

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _"Aggie."_

 _I was walking in the dark, keeping to the low lights of the streetlamps for lighting. My name was being called loudly._

 _Hearing the truck behind me slow down I stopped walking. I l_ _ooked behind me to see F.P. turning off the vehicle and jumping out quickly, shutting the door behind him._

 _"What F.P.?"_

 _He held up my notebook. I had left it at Pop's._

 _My jaw dropped and I snatched it from him, holding it close to my chest. "Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize that I had forgotten it. Thanks." Putting it in my bag, I looked up at F.P. who was staring at me intensely._

 _"Why are you staring at me like that?" I asked him in a quiet voice. F.P. sighed and ran hi fingers through his light brown hair._

 _"You are right. I shouldn't be leading girls on."_

 _My eyebrows shot up and my mouth formed a small 'O'. "Wow...so, are you really going out with Angela now?" My stomach was bubbling in the worst way as I waited with baited breath for his answer._

 _"No." He finally admitted and my stomach's nerves subsided. "No, I'm...I'm not going out with Angela. I even told her that."_

 _I bit back a smile. "And how did she take it?"_

 _F.P. turned his head to the side to reveal a red welt. "Not very well." He chuckled. "She told me to 'Go to Hell' and then she slapped me."_

 _I laughed a tiny bit as I stepped closer to him and softly grabbed his face. "You poor thing...we have ice over at my house. Why don't you come over and we'll put some ice on that, yeah?"_

 _"Yeah...I did deserve it though." F.P. said, wincing as my finger pressed a bit too deeply on his wound._

 _I shook my head as I studied his welt. "The 'Go to hell' comment probably. But hitting you seems a bit harsh."_

 _F.P. suddenly took my hands and put them down from his face._

 _I felt heat rising into my cheeks and looked down at the pavement of the sidewalk._

 _F.P. took a step back after noticing my discomfort. "C'mon. I'll give you a ride home. You can tell me all about the Forging Flame of Nyle on the way."_

 _I was shocked. "You read my story?!"_

 _"A bit of it. You should really continue, it's a great idea for a book."_

 _I bit my lip to stifle a grin as I trailed F.P. into his truck._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I staggered back and I ended up hitting the wall. "What? Fuck! I need to leave!"

"You don't need to do that." Fred tried to reason.

I shook my head frantically as I found that it was hard to breathe. "He's going to tell his dad about Archie's aunt coming back into town...I can't have him finding out that I'm back. I don't want to see him again!

I started to panic and Fred knelt down in front of me and stroked my head in a gentle manner, "You don't have to! But Aggie...you know as well as I that F.P. was bound to find out about you returning here sooner or later."

I felt streams of tears run down my face as I put my hands over my eyes. "He broke me Fred, and it took years for me to get myself back together. And now I have to sit at the same table as his son!"

"That's why I didn't want Jughead to come over. I knew you'd have a problem with it." Fred seemed irritated.

I sniffed and stood up. "Fred...I don't know what to do."

My brother gave me a sympathetic look and hugged me. "Don't make a big deal about it. Jughead and F.P...they're not very close. He takes after his mom in most regards."

I winced as Fred mentioned F.P.'s wife. "Oh...sorry."

"It's fine." I wiped my eyes.

Fred stayed quiet before he asked, "Do you want to leave?"

I paused for a moment before I said, "No...I told you yesterday that I moved on. I need to act like it."

I composed myself before going into the kitchen. I had to prove that I was over it.

Archie came at me quickly. "You never told me you wrote the Everheart Series!"

I gave him a small smile and said, "That's because I didn't want anyone to know. Well except for your dad, my editor, and my publicist...the last two have to know about my identity though."

"You realize I'm going to try and get as many spoilers from you as possible, right?"

I groaned. "Please don't...I have the worst case of writer's block. My editor is on my ass day and night to get the next book finished, but I've been so busy, I can't even write down a sentence."

I looked at Jughead who was leaning quietly against the counter.

Jughead...he wasn't his father.

I needed to push my bias against who his dad was in order to get to know who Jughead is.

He was not F.P.

But...

This was F.P.'s son. I would never have guessed that this stoic boy would be F.P.'s child. "Jughead, you said you're a writer. What do you do when you have writer's block?"

Jughead looked thoughtful before he answered, "I contemplate what will happen next over a cheeseburger and a large order of fries."

I cracked a small grin and said, "That sounds like a foolproof plan."

Jughead gave me a small smile back. "It usually is. If all else fails, look to food."

I opened up the fridge and grabbed a glass bottle of Cherry soda, popping the cap off swiftly. "Funny...people usually say the same thing about God."

"I find food to be more reliable." Jughead replied.

Taking a swig of pop from the bottle, I started to smell the steaks. "Speaking of food, who's hungry?"

The boys helped me set up the table as Freddy put the mashed potatoes, salad, and steaks in their own serving bowls and plates.

We sat down and started to eat.

"This is great, Mr.A." Jughead had his mouth full of potatoes.

"Glad you like it, Jughead. I made the steaks special for my baby sister here." Fred nudged me with his elbow as he cut into his steak.

I took a bite of mine and swallowed. "Thanks Fred. I appreciate it."

We sat in silence, the only notice coming from the clanking of our forks and knives colliding with out plates as we cut into our individual pieces of meat.

To break the silence, I looked to my nephews to ask him about his life. "So, Archie, freshman year is almost over. Got any plans for the summer?"

Jughead and Archie looked at each other before Archie said, "No, not really. Just going to hang out, ya know?"

Taking a bite of my mashed potatoes, I flickered my eyes to Jughead. "What are your plans for the summer, Jughead?"

Jughead ate a bite of his sald before he answered me. "I don't know. Maybe hang out at Pop's...drift into oblivion...save the world...whatever happens first."

"Oh definitely save the world." I joked.

"And why would I do that?"

"Because I need to know how Game of Thrones will end!" I placed my hand over my eyes and dramatically leaned against Fred.

Jughead chuckled. "Fine. I'll consider it for that reason alone."

"Yes, because nothing brings the world closer together than dragons and sex." Fred lightly slapped Archie in the back of his head though he laughed as well.

Suddenly our laughter ceased as Jughead's phone rang. He looked at all of us and scratched the top of his beanie-clad head. "I have to take this. Do you mind, Mr.A?"

Fred held up his hands. "No, no. Go right ahead."

"Thanks." Jughead got up from the table and went into the hallway, and out the front door.

I focused my attention back on Archie. "Wingnut, you going to try out for football?"

Archie smiled widely. "Yeah, but for next year. I got bulk up a bit before I can play though."

"Well you're a growing boy. I bet that'll be no problem." The front door closed and Jughead looked a bit troubled.

"Umm, Mr. A, I have to get going now."

Confusion settled on all of us. "Why? We aren't even done with dinner."

"Plus I got a chocolate pie from Pop's we haven't cut in yet." I added.

Jughead's eyes turned longing as the mention of pie came up, but he shook his head. "No...I'm sorry. My dad said he'll be here any moment to pick me up and-"

Jughead didn't finish what he was saying as panic struck me, causing me to hastily stand up from the table. The dishes clanked at the sudden movement, allowing my bottle of soda to topple over and spill. Archie and Jughead gave me wide-eyed looks and Fred gave me one that said 'Calm Down'.

I looked at the boys with tear-ridden eyes. "I...I...I have to go. I forgot that I left the dog in his crate at home." I lied.

Archie's eyebrows scrunched together. "You don't have a dog."

My eyes shot to Jughead, whose eyes narrowed as he scrutinized my movements. My eyes went back to my brother.

"I just forgot about something that I need to do. Fred, this was a lovely meal. I have to go!" I damn near ran out of that house and threw open the door to my car. I slammed it shut and fumbled with the keys, my hands shaking that I barely inserted them in the ignition. From my rearview mirror, I saw a familiar-looking truck arrive in the distance.

All of a sudden, the car roared to life and I sped the hell out of there.

When I finally came home, I went inside and raced upstairs.

I shut the door and collapsed onto my bed. It didn't have sheets or covers on it yet, but it was still comfy.

I turned on the radio that had I had unpacked earlier and music drifted into the silence.

Then it came on.

That fucking song.

A cover of the song Wild Horses by the Sundays came on.

I slammed my hand on the off button to the radio but it was too late.

My heart was racing as another memory struck me like a lightning bolt.

 _"F.P.!" I squealed as he laid on top of me kissing my neck deeply. His hips were grinding into mine and his hands were underneath my blouse. In the background, a huge screen lit up the night sky with a new movie out that month, Dracula, and the air was brisk._

 _But F.P. was the perfect solution in warming me up._

 _F.P. grinned as he popped his head up and looked around the grounds of the Twilight Drive-In through the windows of his truck bed cover. He gazed back down at me before he whispered, "There's no one really around." He sat up and took off his shirt, his tanned body laying back down on my own, his lean strong arms wrapping around me tightly as his lips found my neck again._

 _The radio was turned on to another station besides the one that actually played the audio for the movie being shown. Wild Horses played in the background but I had no care._

 _"Don't you have a game tomorrow? Should we really be-" I was cut off by a loud moan that escaped from my lips as he found a pleasurable spot in the crook of my neck._

 _F.P. looked up at me and said, "Yeah, I have an upcoming game. But that's tomorrow night. Right now, I just want to be with you."_

 _I melted. "You do?'_

 _F.P. sat up again and looked at me seriously. "Aggie...I love you."_

 _I became breathless as F.P. started to squirm uncomfortably due to my lack of response. "I...I...oh shit...I fucked this up didn't I?"_

 _I started to laugh and I launched myself into F.P.'s arms. "No, you didn't. I love you too."_

 _F.P. smiled at me and laid me back down. "Do you want to continue?"_

 _I hesitated before nodding my head. "Yeah. Just go slow I guess._ _"_

 _Then he did something that surprised me._

 _F.P. laid beside me and said, "That's okay. We're in no rush. As long as we're together, I don't care what we do."_

 _I snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me._

 _He loved me._

 _And I loved him._

 **Thank you to all who reviewed so far! It makes my day. I love reading them and honestly, it inspires me to write.**


	6. Bikers Plus Breakfast Equals Banter

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

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 **jessica02**

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 **Your reviews make me want to write. I honestly appreciate how you took time out of your day to give me your thoughts and encouragement. I don't take them for granted! (Gives you all candy)**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _"Hey Aggs." I looked up at my brother. He gave me his award winning smile and laid down next to me on the plaid blanket that was widely spread on the grass._

 _It was a sunny day, with clouds in the sky, and soft breezes to cool down the glare of the sun._

 _I scooched over to make room for Fred. "Whatcha reading?"_

 _"Winter's Tale." I replied, picking up where I last left off._

 _From the corner of my eye I could see Fred putting an arm under his head as the other was strewn lazily on his stomach. "Cool."_

 _He was quiet before he asked, "Aggs?"_

 _I looked up from my book again. "Yeah?"_

 _Fred sighed before he asked, "What do you think of F.P.?"_

 _Feeling my heart race, I focused all I could on the paragraph I was reading. I did my best to look inconspicuous. Knowing that with the subject of F.P. being brought up, I couldn't focus on my book anymore. I set it down, but not before putting the bookmark in._

 _I turned to my side and propped up on my elbow. "What do you mean?"_

 _Fred shrugged. "I don't know. I can't really place my finger on it...but something has been going on with him lately." This was true. He had been around less and less. I figured that he was busy studying or that he had gotten a job._

 _I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Like what?"_

 _"I don't know. He's been gone a lot." I was about to give a suggestion, when I felt as if I couldn't breathe._

 _I sat up suddenly as a coughing spasm came over me. I hacked up specks of blood into my hands, and wiped the blood on the grass. Fred sat up quickly and patted my back. "Are you worried?"_

 _"About the operation? No. Should I?" I elbowed my brother, massaging my throat._

 _"They're taking out a piece of your lung. You should be worried." I leaned into my brother and he wrapped his arms around me in a protective manner._

 _"The doctors will know what they're doing. Okay? I have complete faith in them." Fred's arms wrapped tighter around me. "And it's not until November. I don't know why you're bringing this up now." I added._

 _His voice became constrained as he said, "You're my little sister. And if anything goes wrong, you could- you could-" His voice faltered as I felt wet droplets on my head._

 _I looked up at him. Fred turned his head away from me to hide the fact that he was crying. I nudged him."I'm going to be okay." I gave him a bright smile despite how my stomach twisted and turned. "You'll see."_

 _It was quiet before Fred joked in a wavering voice, "This is a really shitty way to start out high school, huh?"_

 _I nodded quietly in a agreement. "The shittiest."_

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I woke up the next morning curled up on my bed and a bit freezing.

Yawning, I groggily opened my door and walked downstairs to the kitchen. When I opened the cupboards, there was nothing in it.

"Shit!" I swore, slamming the cabinet shut.

I had forgotten to get groceries.

"Well isn't this great!" I grumbled. I went back upstairs and to my closet, where all my clothes were hanging up. Subconsciously smelling my hair and shrugging, I picked out a pair of indigo blue flared out jeans, a long-sleeved white shirt, and a green knit sweater. I slipped on a pair of red shoes and went on my way.

When I drove up to Pop's for breakfast, I was steering the car with one hand as I was trying my red hair into a messy ponytail. The result of this action was me parking crookedly, taking up at least three spaces.

Not giving a shit though, I went inside and called out, "Pop Tate! How's it going?!"

Pop poked his head out from the swinging kitchen doors and said, "It's going good Aggie. How about you, girl?"

I chuckled grimly before sitting down on one of the stools in front of the counter. "I haven't been a girl for a long time. And to answer your question, at least I'm not dead."

Pop Tate let out a hearty laugh and gave me a menu. "Order when you're ready, kiddo."

"Thanks."

Before Pop went back to the kitchen, he backtracked a few step and asked, "What do you want to drink?"

"Just water with ice please."

Pop filled up a glass cup with ice and water, handing it to me.

I stared at the menu, smiling a bit at how Pop never changed the design of it, even after all these years.

It was sometimes nice to come back to a place like Pop's Chock-Lit Shoppe and never have to worry about it being different than the last time you saw it.

After glancing at the menu for a moment, I yelled out to Pop, "HEY POP! CAN I PLEASE HAVE AN EGGWHITE SPINACH OMELET WITH A SIDE OF OATMEAL?!"

Pop, who was flipping someone's hashbrown, gave me a wink. "You got it!"

As Pop was working on my order, I heard a rough voice yell, "HEY! Who in here drives the Plymouth that's taking up half the lot?!"

Annoyed that my peaceful morning was being disturbed (and that it was happening in Pop's, which was a big no-no for me) I swiveled my seat around. "The car is mine fuckfac- oh shit."

Standing in front of me was a burly man with long hair and a beard. He had on a flannel shirt with the sleeves ripped off and a leather vest. He was tall with a very visible Southside Serpent's tattoo on his arm. His eyes were hardened from years of being in a gang, but when they saw me, they widened with surprise, though the rest of his face stayed stoic.

He crossed his arms, his muscles buldging enormously. "Well, well, well. Look who's back in town after all these years. Last I heard, you were living it up in some big-ass city with a hot shot job."

I stood up and crossed my arms as well, narrowing my eyes. "Last I heard...you were in jail for screwing some farmer's goat."

There was a moment of silence, then a smile began to tug at my lips as the biker began to laugh loudly. "It's nice to see you again, Aggatha."

I let a small laugh escaped from me and I strided over in front of the colossal man. "It's good to see you too, Tall Boy."

Tall Boy's laughter subsided before he glanced around, saying, "Does F.P. know you're back?"

I immediately withdrew into myself, scratching my upper arm subconsciously. "No...and I'd like to keep it that way."

Tall Boy looked down at me skeptically, stroking his beard. "Don't know how long you can keep that up for. Word goes around fast in a small town."

"I know...I know. But I'd rather see him later than sooner." I went to the counter to sit down and Talk Boy followed me.

He sat down and grabbed a menu from behind the counter. His green eyes scanned over the items listed for breakfast before he responded with a 'tsk'. "It's been over twenty years. That's plenty of time to get over an ex."

I was about to say something when Pop came out of the kitchen and placed a plate in front of me. "Alright! An eggwhite spinach omelet with a side of plain oatmeal. Enjoy, kiddo!"

I smiled at the elderly man as I grabbed my fork to dig in. "Thanks Pop."

Tall Boy eyed my plate. "Well didn't you turn into a healthy eater?"

I gestured up and down my body with one hand as I said, "One does not stay in shape at my age if you eat hamburgers and milkshakes all the time."

I lifted up my shirt a tiny bit to reveal some stretch marks that have been long since faded from the color red. "I had a chubby period for several years in my twenties before I decided to take care of myself." I put down my shirt as I ate my omelet. With my mouth full I said, "Though I haven't been eating that healthy for the past couple days."

Tall Boy glanced up from his menu as he said, "Really? I thought those stretch marks would've been the result from..." His voice trailed off as he caught my face contorting into pain. He cleared his throat as he started to read the menu again. "You look good though."

I took a sip of my water before I asked, "So...no restaurants open on the Southside? From what I remember, Southside Serpents rarely eat out at Pop's."

Tall Boy gave a deep chuckle. "You've been gone a long time Aggatha. Times have changed."

He signalled a waitress, who warily made her way over to take Tall Boy's order. He added in quickly, "And if I were you, I'd check your memories. Because I can remember at least one Southsider who hung out here quite a bit back in the day." I became red as he looked to the waitress and said, "I'll have the French Toast with eggs and hashbrown. Make the eggs scrambled and the hashbrown soft. I'll have a cup of coffee in the meantime, make it black." He handed her the menu which she took with shaking hands and went to go fetch Tall Boy his cup of coffee.

The man sighed and rubbed his temples. He spoke in a quiet voice. "You know...F.P. rose up in ranks."

I stopped eating as I looked to him. "What?" I was completely astounded.

He nodded. "Yup. He's kind of ' The Man' if you get my meaning. Sometimes I find it funny though..."

"Why?"

"When he joined, he was still a kid. He didn't want a position of power, hell he barely even wanted to be a Serpent. He joined to make money for you."

I turned away from him and looked at the wall in guilt. "I know."

"It's funny because I had never seen a boy so dedicated to just one person. He worked day and night to earn every single dime-"

"For my surgery. I know the story." I interjected quickly.

It was quiet again before I said, "Listen...I don't want to relive my past. I know all about the history I have with my ex-husband. I also know all about how he's married and has a couple kids with a great wife. He's moved on! The only reason I came back was to help my brother."

I dug into my omelet again and ate a huge bite. "Life's a bitch and then you die. There's no coming back from that."

The waitress returned and gave Tall Boy his coffee, leaving as soon as she set it down. "His wife left him a while ago. Took their little girl with her." He took a sip.

I shook my head. "It's none of my damn business. I don't give a rat's ass if his wife blows him every Saturday night. It's his life, not mine."

With that being said, I scarfed down the last of my omelet and most of my oatmeal. Chugging down my water, I wiped my mouth and slammed twelve dollars on the table. "Tell Pop to keep the change!"

I was about to walk out the door before I heard Tall Boy say, "You're still family, Aggatha."

I closed my eyes. "No I'm not...I haven't been for years." I opened my eyes and pushed open the door before leaving the restaurant.

I was in such a mood that I didn't see Tall Boy pull out his cellphone and call the Head Serpent himself.

"Hey, boss. It's me. She's back. Aggie's back."

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	7. Grocery Shopping and Stopping Time

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

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 **Thank you for your reviews! It makes my day and causes me to jump with joy! So I suggest listening to Coming Home by Gwenyth Paltrow. Here's the next chapter! And can I say, 14 reviews?! Oh my gosh, you all are the best! :) Please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _"Aggie!" The soft tapping at my window woke me up_

 _Tap._

 _Tap._

 _Tap._

 _"Aggie!" I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs on the side of my bed. I tripped over the covers and stumbled over to the window. I opened it to see F.P. staring up at me, while throwing several pebbles up at my window. He paused once I poked my head out._

 _I rubbed my eyes again and drooled out, "F.P.-" I looked over at my alarm clock and vaguely made out the position of the hands,"-it's 2:45 in the morning! What do you want?!"_

 _F.P. shook his head as dropped the pebbles. He scaled up the tree and lept from one of the top branches to my window. His arm grabbed the frame and he heavrd himself inside, falling down on his back._

 _"Shhh!" I chastised him. F.P. sat up and that's when I saw it._

 _"What happened to you?!" I knelt down and took his face in mine. F.P. was bruised and bloodied, with several lacerations on his cheek and his right eye swollen shut._

 _F.P.'s other eye gazed at me curiously. "Why are you talking that way?"_

 _I scrunched up my eyebrows. "What way?"_

 _"Like with a lisp."_

 _"Oh!" I pulled out the metal wire that held my teeth together. It had strings of salive dripping from it as I showed him. "It's my retainer."_

 _F.P. gagged at the sight of it and looked away. "I think I'm going to be sick."_

 _I became worried as I set down my retainer on my nightstand. "Do you want me to get Mom or Dad?"_

 _"No." His voice was gravelly as he crawled over to my bed and sat on it._

 _"How about Fred?"_

 _F.P.'s one good eye widened as he waved his hands in front of him. "No! Definitely not Fred. I just need somewhere to crash for the night."_

 _"Do you want me to-"_

 _"Aggie!" He hissed as he laid down on my bed "Please! Don't ask any questions. Just let me stay, I'll be gone by the time the sun is out. Okay?"_

 _I hesitantly nodded and retrieved my retainer, putting back in my mouth. "Okay."_

 _I laid down next to him, and fell asleep listening to the soft breaths of F.P. Jones._

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I pushed the cart through the aisles, grabbing bottles of juice.

My cart was already half way full.

I was at the point where I was absolutely bored with shopping. All I wanted to do was go home and go back to bed.

I went into the next aisle and grabbed several bags of marshmallows. After staring down at one bag for a while, I shrugged and tore it open, eating the fluffy little bastards as I walked down over to the next aisle. I threw in some cans of green olives when I heard a voice say, "Hey! You have to pay for those."

I turned around with my cheeks full of marshmallows as a clean cut boy in a green apron came over to me. I swallowed what I had in my mouth. "No shit, Sherlock." Flipping him off, I walked over to the eggs. I grabbed a carton and opened it. One was cracked so I put it back.

Suddenly someone tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and glared at the boy who chastised me earlier. "What?"

"You have to pay for the marshmallows."

"Holy shit!" I threw the opened bag into my cart and my hands up in the air. "Listen Jimothy-"

"Actually, my name is Kevin-"

"I don't care. I'm going to pay for the motherfucking marshmallows. I just need you-", I pointed to him and made a 'scoot away' motion with my hands,"-to back off. Okay?"

I opened another carton of eggs, this time finding it alright, and gently set it in my cart.

"Are you from the Southside? Because you are being awfully crass."

I turned and put my hands on my hips. "First off, Jimothy, that is a horrible stereotype! What, just 'cause someone lives in the Southside means they're going to be rude and mean and troublemaking? That's fucked up of you to assume that. Second, I happened to have grown up here in the Northside. Third, I'm 'crass' because it's the morning and I am not a morning person. So please, don't assume shit. Because that makes an ass out of you and me."

With that, I spun around and pushed my cart down the aisle to the cash registers.

Very faintly I heard the boy give out a low whistle and whisper, "Damn. Yes Queen."

Ignoring him, I paid for my groceries and strolled out of that store.

To be honest, I hated being rude to that kid.

He was only doing his job.

Honestly, it wasn't him or the morning.

Like most of this town, it was that store and the memories it held.

 _"How about cranberry juice?" I held up the giant plastic bottle full of red liquid. F.P. shook his head and I felt my smile falter. "Oh, okay." I put it back and went to go walk next to my husband as we slowly paced through the aisle._

 _My pink dress swished about me as I asked him, "Don't we need crackers?"_

 _F.P. looked down at the list and swore. "Damn! I forgot to write that down."_

 _He was pushing the cart, and as I let him go ahead, I paused to admire him._

 _F.P. stopped to grab a box of crackers. A smile spread over my face as I watched him flip the box around and look at the back of it._

 _I loved doing this. Just ordinary things like going shopping. Because it was in these moments that the world stopped and I could just see the man who was F.P Jones._

 _He was strong and gentle._

 _He was caring and protective._

 _He was the ultimate fighter. He did what he needed to in order to provide for the ones he loved. If the world knocked F.P. to the ground, he didn't stay down long and he always came back with fists flying._

 _And he didn't even know how much I loved that about him._

 _He was there, right in front of me, in his black jeans and Southside Serpent jacket. F.P. didn't even realize that I was standing in the middle of the aisle, with the most lovesick expression on my face as my internal monologue cantered on about how great he was._

 _I never knew what love, romantic love, was like._

 _Until Forsythe Pendleton Jones II._

 _F.P. Jones was mine and I had an overwhelming urge to just love on him._

 _I ran up to behind F.P. and wrapped my arms tightly around his middle. I nuzzled my head on the back of his jacket._

 _F.P. chuckled. "Aggs? What are you doing? "_

 _"Shh." I whispered. "Don't ruin this moment for me. Just let me gush all over you, 'kay?"_

 _I felt F.P. shrug and his hands went over mine that were clasped on the front of his midsection._

 _And for a moment, we stood there a brilliant clash of pink and black relishing in the fact that in this world, we had each other._

 _...Then it was over._

 _Some random guy pushed me to the side, causing me to let go of F.P. and stumble back into some shelves._

 _"Watch your whale of a wife!" The man snapped as he pushed his cart past us. "Fucking Serpents and their sluts." The man muttered out loudly._

 _F.P. turned to me and helped me up. "Stay here." He mumbled. His eyes were wide, his nose was twisted into a snarl, and he looked like he was ready to kill. His head swirled around as he tried to find the man, who had already left to the next aisle._

 _"Hey!" I grabbed onto the front of his jacket and made him look at me. "I'm fine. No harm done. He was just being a jerk."_

 _F.P. was fuming and I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to be kicked out of another place because of some asshole getting on F.P.'s nerves._

 _I brought my lips to his and gave him a kiss. F.P. froze at first but then he relaxed and leaned in forward, pressing his smooth lips to my slightly chapped ones. I pulled away from him and put my forehead to his. "Let's just go pay, and we'll get the rest of what we need tomorrow morning."_

 _F.P. nodded and I took over pushing the cart._

 _Noticing that he was just standing there, I looked over my shoulder and gave him a smile. "Are you coming?"_

 _F.P. looked at me wide-eyed and then ran over to the cart. "You shouldn't be pushing this. Let me."_

 _"Okay...but I get to hold onto your arm!"_

 _F.P. gave me a soft gaze and he said, "You know that I love you, right?"_

 _I blushed a bit and found my shoes suddenly intresting. "I know...I love you too."_

I pushed that memory out of my head as I put the last of my bags in the back of my car. I started my car and drove.

F.P...why?

Why did I have to fall for him?

I hit the the steering wheel several times.

It was a bad idea. He was a Southside Serpent for fucks sake! Though, to be fair to the rest of the Serpents, they never hurt me or anyone I loved because of my relationship with F.P. But still...

Not to mention it was such a cliché. The Romeo and Juliet. The Brother's Best Friend and the Brother's Sister. The Young Lovers.

It didn't matter anymore.

Maybe Bobby was right.

Maybe I should've stayed in Detriot. At least being there made it easier to forget about about F.P. and everything else here.

I drove up to my winding driveway, finally parking up near the front door.

I analyzed my two story house. It was brick and if someone went around back, there was the Sweetwater River, with the waterfalls in the background, with the wheel to the Mill turning constantly. The bricks to this house were run down a bit. I looked at the front door and windows. I should probably touch up the white paint on the outside.

I climbed out of my vehicle and unlocked the door. After going back and forth several times from the house to the car, I finally got the last bag inside and I locked the door to my car.

I kicked my shoes off and ran upstairs to put my sweater away. I folded up my jeans and put them on my bed, putting on black yoga pants instead. I looked beside my bed and turned on the radio to the country station.

Yes, country.

Don't judge.

My phone let out a bell chime, the sound for any text messages, and I tapped the screen to see who it was.

 **Freddy's New Number: You know we have to talk about last night.**

I sighed. He was right, as always.

 **Me: Yeah, I know. Come on by and we can talk.**

I waited for a second, when my phone chimed again.

 **Freddy's New Number: I have lunch here in a bit. I'll stop by then.**

 **Me: Okay. See you soon.**

When I put my phone down, I eyed the bed noticing how bare it was. Searching around my room, I finally found my blue sheets (which for some reason Archie had put under my bed) and wrestled the fitted sheet on there. Then I grabbed my comforter (which was a plain grey) and put it nicely on my bed, adding pillows last. I threw on some decor pillows after and a huge white knitted blanket.

I grinned a bit when I saw that blanket.

 _I gasped loudly as Bobby moaned._

 _His hands gripped my hips. My hands were on his firm chest, scratch marks from earlier already marking him. Bobby's eyes were shut tightly and he twitched inside of me, finishing loudly a grunt._

 _I stayed on top of him for a moment, only getting off when he opened his eyes._

 _I fell to the other side of Bobby on my back as we both tried to catch our breath._

 _"Remind me to by for dinner more often." He said in between pants._

 _I could only nod. I put my hand on my bare chest to still my beating heart._

 _When I finally caught my breath, I turned to my side and stared at Bobby._

 _He did the same._

 _His brown eyes met my blue ones. "I'm sorry." I was quiet in my apology. Usually after sex, I apologized for the same thing. Bobby rolled onto his back and ran his fingers through his brown hair._

 _"I know. You don't need to apologize every time we fuck each other."_

 _I pushed the guilt down inside of me. I always thought that perhaps Bobby wanted more from me. Like an actual relationship or at least something more stable than being friends with speculation led me to saying sorry quite often._

 _After a beat, Bobby spoke. "I'm real fucked up, Aggs. I ain't Prince Charming and I sure as hell ain't the type of guy someone brings home to meet their family." He rolled back on his side and gave me a look only Bobby Mercer could pull off. "If I wanted something more from ya, I would've gone ahead and said as much."_

 _I nodded in agreement. "I'm pretty fucked up too."_

 _Bobby ran his hand over my arm and scooched over closely, giving me a chaste kiss._

 _"I care about you, Aggs. But I just can't be with you like that."_

 _I smiled a bit. "That's good. Because the same goes for me." Sitting up, I looked down at Bobby, whose fingers were tracing invisible patterns on my back._

 _"Do you want to actually eat dinner?" I asked him quietly._

 _"Mhmm." Was the only response I got. I stood, grabbing the nearest blanket to cover my naked body with._

 _I heard Bobby snort._

 _I turned around. "What's so funny?"_

 _Bobby rolled onto his stomach, his 'No Mercy' tattoo viable on his upper back, as he spoke in a muffled voice, "That blanket is ridiculous."_

 _I looked down at it. "No it's not."_

 _Bobby pushed himself up and laughed. "Who needs to buy a big-ass knitted blanket like that?"_

 _I rolled my eyes and one hand on my hip, since the other was holding the blanket close to me. "I'll have you know that I made this!"_

 _Bobby rolled his eyes. "Of course you would."_

 _He stood up and walked over to me, standing in front of me. "What do you need something like that for?"_

 _"It's cozy. It's nice decor. It keeps me warm." I listed off. Bobby gave me a small smile and said, "Only you, Aggie, would have something like this laying in their house."_

 _"Well it has a lot of uses."_

 _Bobby tapped his chin, pretending to think, when he grabbed the blanket from me._

 _"Hey!" I said._

 _Bobby chuckled and threw it on the floor. He brang my body close to his and started to kiss my neck._

 _My eyes fluttered closed and I felt him laying me down on the knitted blanket that he thought was so ridiculous. "I can think of a couple good uses for it." He mumbled against my skin._

 _We didn't eat dinner until the early morning._

Giggling at the memory like a pubescent schoolgirl, I ran my fingers lightly across the blanket.

I left my room, going downstairs and walked over to my kitchen. I knelt down to get my kettle from the bottom cabinet and went over to the sink and filled it up with water. Turning on the stove, I set the kettle on the burner and went about unpacking my gorceries, putting everything away.

I went to an iron basket on the counter and retrieved a couple of apples, slicing them and putting them in a plate. I washed off the knife and put it in a dish rack, humming to the song that drifted from upstairs.

 _" **Home. The world tried to break me and I found a road to take me home...**_ " I softly sand along with a couple of the lyrics, humming the rest.

Then there was a knock on the front door.

Pulling down an old red teapot of mine and filling it up with several bags of Oolong Tea, I called out, "Come in!".

Hearing the door open and shut, I reached up into the cabinet and grabbed another mug.

Knowing that it was most likely Fred I said, "Before you start giving me a speech on how I acted last night, do you want some tea?"

"Yeah, that'd be great."

I froze.

I knew that voice.

It was the same voice that has haunted me for over two decades. The voice that I tried to push out of my head. The voice that used to hold me. The voice that hurt me.

I took a gasp of breath as my eyes stung fiercely, feeling physical pain just by hearing him speak.

I turned around slowly and there he was, standing in the middle of my living room.

He stood proud yet, unsure if he should have been there in my living room. Time did a number on him as his eyes looked bloodshot, his forehead having more lines in it, and his once light brown hair, now darker with age. He had his arms crossed, visibly uncomfortable.

He had on black jeans with boots. He was wearing a couple layers of shirts. First, a plain white shirt with a blue flannel shirt over it, though it was unbuttoned. Then, there was the cherry on top-his prized Southside Serpent's Black Leather Jacket.

His hands fell to his sides and he stared at me.

"Hey there, Aggs."

The mug that I was holding fell out of my hands and shattered to the ground. I took a couple steps back and put my hand to my mouth stifling a cry. Hot tears streaked my cheeks and I looked away.

"Please say something." He said in a soft voice.

I shook my head, turning away from him.

What could I say?

The shock of him actually being there still coursed throughout my body.

The kettle whistled, signalling me that it was done boiling, but I had no care.

I wasn't remembering something or recalling some old memory from over twenty years ago.

This was real.

F.P. Jones was standing in my house.

 **Thank you for the reviews! I can't wait to show you all the next chapter! P.S. GRAB SOME TISSUES! SHIT IS GOING TO GO DOWN! P.P.S. If we could get this up to 18 reviews, I'd be so thankful. :) REVIEWS GIVE ME POWER. THE MORE POWER I HAVE, THE MORE I CAN WRITE! XD**


	8. Oncology, FP, and Griffith

**Disclaimer: I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

 **Thank You:**

 **HeavenlyMonster**

 **chelsnichole12**

 **pinkshirt**

 **Guest**

 **jessica02 (and for two reviews! You are so sweet! :) )**

 **crazyvamp786**

 **jadenina17**

 **prankster-at-heart**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! It made me so happy to see them all. So, as a writer in the fanfiction community, I love sharing other people's stories as well as my own. I feel like as a someone part of the F.F. Family that we should encourage people to read not just your own story, but other writer's as well! I suggest if you all have the time, to go read Appetite for Destruction by rocket-queen98! It's a great F.P./OC story with a nice storyline. :)**

 **Warning: Grab some tissues. (In Samuel L. Jackson voice) It's about to go down, motherfucker!**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _It started with a bike ride._

 _I was riding my silver Schwin with a yellow banana seat to Pop's to meet up with Freddy._

 _My Mom told me to take it easy. Ever since school started, I hadn't been feeling so well. I was sick on and off, having trouble breathing. I never got sick, but I did have asthma. My Mom took me to the doctors and they said that the pollen levels were probably high, causing my bronchial tubes to act up._

 _As I was riding, I came to a large hill. I was pushing my pedals harder and harder, then that's when it happened- I couldn't breathe._

 _I felt like something was constricting my lungs and I fell sideways off of my bike._

 _When I could breathe, I gasped deeply, growing desperate for air. Clutching the my ribcage, I let out a loud scream. To this day, I don't know what I screamed. It was unintelligible to me and, at the moment, all I thought about was doing my best to breathe._

 _I ended up passing out, right there in the middle of the street._

 _When I woke up, I was in a hospital gown. Needles were plugged into me and my heart was being monitored. My eyes were groggy and blurred. When they cleared up, I saw my Mom and Dad, asleep in some guest chairs._

 _They looked sleep deprived and like they stayed awake for days._

 _That's when Freddy came in, looking pretty haggard himself, carrying one cup of coffee in each hand._

 _"Freddy?" I whispered. My throat was raw and I put my hand to it, massaging my overused vocal chords._

 _My brother looked my way and widened his eyes. "Aggie!" He dropped the cups and ran over to me, giving me a hug._

 _I was confused. "Where am I?"_

 _My brother, my big strong brother who was never cried, looked at me with tears in his eyes. "You're in the hospital. You've been in here for three days."_

 _This was more confusing to me. "Three days?! Did I get hurt?"_

 _Fred shook his head, and let go of me. He sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. "No...not exactly...well, kind of."_

 _"That doesn't make any sense. Why am I here?"_

 _Fred looked like he couldn't speak. His dark brown eyes darted over to our parents, who were still passed out. He let out a sigh and held my hand. "You were found unresponsive in the middle of Clark Street. Some kid was riding his skateboard and he saw you just lying there. He came back with his old man, and pretty soon an ambulance arrived on scene to take you here."_

 _"Okay", I said, wincing as I sat up a bit, "but what does this have to do with what's wrong with me?"_

 _"I'm getting to that, just hold on." Fred said, glancing back to Mom and Dad's sleeping forms. "When you didn't show up at Pop's and it was starting to get late, I became worried. I used a payphone and called the house to see if you were home. That's when Mom told me that you left hours ago."_

 _Fred's eyes became watery. "You...you...I was scared. Maybe someone was bullying you or maybe you were kidnapped, I don't know. Just as I was leaving Pop's, Hal Cooper came in and he saw me. He ran over to where I was and told me that he was walking home when he saw you getting lifted into an ambulance. I...I called mom and told her what happened._

 _When we arrived, Dad was already here. I guess she called him while he was at work or something...I don't know. We asked if any red-headed girls around the age of fourteen were brought in. Dad and Mom showed the nurses a picture of you, that they kept in their wallets, as proof. When they confirmed that they brought you in, they took us to you. That's when the doctor met up with us."_

 _Freddy looked like he couldn't hold it in anymore and he turned away from me._

 _I felt a knot forming in my stomach._

 _"Well, what did the doctor say?"_

 _When he didn't answer, I grabbed onto Fred's hand. "Tell me." I demanded._

 _Fred looked at me with red eyes. "The doctor we met...he's an Oncologist. Sis, I don't know if you know what an Oncologist is, but they're-"_

 _"Doctors for cancer patients." I felt sick to my stomach._

 _If an Oncologist met with my parents, that meant...Oh God._

 _This didn't happen to everyday people._

 _I was a geek, a nobody._

 _This happened to the popular kids, like in an after school special, not the kids that stayed home on the weekends and played Monopoly with their parents._

 _This especially didn't happen to someone like me, the monopoly playing geek._

 _I swallowed the lunp in my throat. "Go on."_

 _"You...you...you have a tumor, Aggie."_

 _I felt the wind getting knocked out of me. "No. No. No. I'm fine. I'm more than fine. I feel great!"_

 _Fred shook his head, tears falling freely from his eyes. "You're not fine. The doctor took a x-ray of you while you were out and found a malignant tumor on your right lung. It's the reason you've been having trouble breathing. It's not your asthma."_

 _"Oh My God..." I couldn't speak._

 _"The doctor told us that extreme activity is dangerous. But there is good news..."_

 _I felt hope stir in my chest. "What is it?"_

 _"When I was in here yesterday, I heard Mom and Dad talk with the doctor. Apparently, there is a surgery that you can have. I guess they take out a piece of the infected lung or something, and it helps...like a lot._

 _I clung onto that piece of information, like a drowning person would cling onto a lifesaver. "Great! That's great. When will I get it?"_

 _Fred wiped his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know. Dad said we couldn't afford it, but Mom said that she was going to get a second job if she needed to." Fred clutched my hand tightly and gave me a firm look of determination. "You're going to get that surgery. One way of another."_

 _Little did either of us know, was that a certain Southsider was outside my hospital room with a bouquet of wildflowers he had picked, delicately put in a glass Coca-Cola bottle. He had heard what we said._

 _He leaned against the wall, his mind racing a million miles on how he could help._

 _Then the line of his mouth became firm and his brown eyes hardened._

 _He knew what he had to do._

 _Taking the bottle with him, he left the hospital in a hurry to go find the one they called Tall Boy._

 _He would get them the money they needed._

 _And that was the beginning of F.P.'s career as a Southside Serpent._

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F.P. stared at me for what seemed like an eternity.

I felt like I couldn't breathe. Barely two days that I'm back in town, and he already knew?!

Finally, I spoke.

"What", I pointed at him, "the FUCK are you doing in my house?"

F.P. stood still. "I wanted to-"

I cut him off. "How the fuck did you know where I lived?"

"I heard in town that someone bought the Mill. Then Tall Boy called me a couple hours ago and told me that you were back. I put two and two together."

I bent down and collected the pieces of broken mug, starting to throw them at F.P.

He dodged every one. "Aggie! What the hell are you doing?!"

"Get the fuck out!" I was fuming, my tears gone all of a sudden. I was relentless. 'People don't get anullments to spend more time together, F.P.! It's actually quite the opposite, motherfucker!"

F.P. looked like he was starting to get pissed off. "Jesus, Aggie! Get your shit together. I just wanted to talk!"

"What part of "I don't want to see you ever again, asshole!', do you not understand?!"

F.P. storned over to me and knocked the last piece of mug out of my hand. "Knock it off!"

I walked backwards into the kitchen and grabbed any plates I could find. F P.'S eyes went wide and he held up his hands in surrender. "Aggs, just hear me out-"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say!" I grabbed the first plate, and flung it at him. F.P. skillfully ducked and it shattered against the wall. "Get out of my house or I'll call the police!"

I threw another plate at him, with me barely missing him, and it shattering against the front door.

F.P. stood up. "You need to listen to me."

I lost my shit.

"Oh, do I?!" I laughed like a psychotic maniac and threw another plate. "I don't need to do shit! We aren't married anymore! YOU said it was over, NOT me! I didn't break your heart, you broke mine!"

F.P. just stood there. "I'm not going to get angry...I know that's what you want."

"Why are you here? Usually, sane people don't go over to their ex's house to talk."

F.P.'s brown eyes became hard as he cautiously treaded over to me carefully. "I have waited two decades to speak with you. More than two! I'm not going anywhere until I get out what I have to say."

I walked up to F.P. and shoved him hard against the chest. He stumbled back. "YOU RUINED ME!" I ran over to him and hit him with every word. "I GAVE YOU MY HEART AND YOU DIDN'T JUST BREAK IT- YOU SHIT ON IT AFTER YOU SHATTERED IT! BECAUSE OF YOU, I CAN'T HAVE A NORMAL RELATIONSHIP. BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DID, I CAN'T STAY IN ONE PLACE FOR TOO LONG! BECAUSE OF YOU, I COULDN'T COME HOME FOR YEARS! I MISSED OUT ON ALL OF MY NEPHEW'S MAJOR MILESTONES. I MISSED FRED'S WEDDING! I MISSED ARCHIE BEING BORN! AND YOU THINK I WANT SOMETHING...ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOU?!"

I slapped him in the face as tears came down fast. "You're a fucking terrible person, the worst I ever met! And I've been all around the world, so what does that tell you?!"

F.P. couldn't hold it in. "Oh I'm a terrible person?" F.P. gave me a cold menacing look, that would probably would have scared me if my blood wasn't boiling. "Who was it that took care of your father when Fred couldn't afford to do it anymore? I did. Who helped your brother start up that company that feeds his family? I did. Who cleaned up and put flowers on Griffith's grave every year?! All these years, you never once visited him, not even on the anniversary of his death. That was me! Me, the terrible person. While you were off being fucking Dora the Explorer pissing off the edge of the world, I took care of things here! I might be a 'terrible person' but at least I'm not selfish."

I got into his face and pointed at him "Don't you dare put that on me. I was the one who lost him! You didn't even show up for his funeral!"

F.P. shoved my hand out of his face. "I was young and stupid! I couldn't handle being there!"

"And I could?! I had to watch my child being lowered into the ground. Me! A new mother, who never got to actually be a mom! Then I had to deal with fucking Alice Cooper telling everyone that I aborted my baby, as if I didn't miscarry him! Maybe if you were there more often, he would be here, standing right beside me!"

"Well he's not, is he?!"

"YOU'RE THE REASON HE'S DEAD, F.P.! YOU'RE THE REASON I NEVER GOT TO HEAR HIS FIRST WORD OR SEE HIM WALK FOR THE FIRST TIME! YOU'RE THE REASON I NEVER GOT TO TAKE HIM TO KINDERGARTEN OR TEACH HIM TO RIDE A BIKE! ALL OF IT, THE GOOD AND THE BAD, I NEVER GOT IT. AND THEN WHEN I THINK THAT WE'RE STRONG ENOUGH TO OVERCOME WHAT WE LOST, YOU CHEATED ON ME!"

I started to sob and I put my hands over my face. F.P. tried putting his hand on my shoulder, but I jerked away from him.

"Don't touch me." I snarled. I took my hands off my face and glowered at the Head Serpent. "I lost my son, because of you. And then you broke my heart. And now you want me to to listen to you? Get the fuck out."

"Aggs...I lost him too. He was my son too."

"You didn't carry him for seven months and lose him, along with the ability to have kids." I laughed bitterly. "You...you moved on and had a replacement son. Me? I had to be reminded of what I lost because I still have the scars to prove it."

F.P. ran his fingers through his hair and he became frustrated.

"There's some things I never got to say to you back then-"

"I don't want to hear it."

"Aggie, just-"

"GET OUT!" I turned away from F.P. and I heard him sigh.

"You're not ready to talk with me. I get that. And in some weird way, I understand. When you feel like you can look at me without wanting to kill me, find me at the Whyte Wyrm."

I didn't look back as he left my house. I heard his truck start and fade away.

I slid down to my knees and clutched my head.

"No." I moaned. "No. No. Please God, no!"

I couldn't help it.

The memory came back to me, angry that it had been suppressed to the back of my mind for so long. I rocked back and forth, hoping to escape, but it was all for naught.

 _I was irritated._

 _Being seven months pregnant and attending another lamaze class alone will do that to any woman. I was sitting on a bench outside of the class for an hour, waiting to at least be picked up._

 _The instructor was closing up when she saw me. "Honey, what are you still doing here? Class ended a while ago."_

 _I gave her a sad sort of smile. "I know. I'm just waiting for my husband to pick me up. He's running late..." I trailed off. I started to fiddle with my yoga mat._

 _My instructor gave me a pitiful look. "Again? No, that's unacceptable. I'll give you a ride, c'mon."_

 _I struggled with my yoga mat and bag, dropping my purse and accidentally spilling the contents out of it. My instructor rushed to help me and said, "I drop my purse all the time. Sometimes I think gravity and my bags are conspiring to get me." I gave a weak laugh as she put the rest of my things in the helped me into her car and she said, "So where do you want to go?"_

 _I was about to say home, when I thought about F.P._

 _Where was he today?_

 _He missed the last four classes and the last two ultrasound appointments._

 _I needed an answer._

 _"The Southside...specifically the Whyte Wyrm."_

 _My instructor seemed taken aback. "Isn't that a biker bar?"_

 _I absentmindedly nodded as I stared out the window._

 _"That's where you want to go?"_

 _"Yeah...my husband is the bartender there." I lied._

 _"Okay..." She started the car and drove me to the Southside, right in front of the Whyte Wyrm. She looked around cautiously and gripped the steering wheel so tight, her knuckles became white._

 _"Are you sure this is where you want to be dropped off?" I gave her a reassuring smile. "Positive."_

 _"Alrighty then. Well, I guess I'll see you at the next class."_

 _I leaned over and gave her a one-armed side hug. "Thank you."_

 _She seemed surprised but gave me a hug back. "Oh! You're welcome."_

 _I struggled getting out of the car, but somehow managed. I waved my instructor goodbye as she drove out of the Southside like a bat out of hell._

 _I walked into the Whyte Wyrm. Even in the middle of the day, it was dark inside._

 _Several of the Serpents looked up from the bar and pool tables when I walked in. I stuck out like a sore thumb, in my plain grey leggings and knee-length blue maternity dress._

 _"Hi everyone." I said._

 _Some "Hey Aggs." and "Hi Aggie" greetings sounded off from around the room._

 _I struggled to go to one of the tables, when one Serpent, came up from behind me and grabbed my bag and yoga mat._

 _I rubbed my shoulder. "Thank you, Tall Boy." He only gave me a silent nod and he led me to one of the center tables, where I sat down on a barstool._

 _"We have sofas, you know." Tall Boy grumbled as he set my things on the table. "It could be more comfortable."_

 _I rubbed my stomach. "Nah, I'm fine." I looked around and deflated with defeat._

 _Tall Boy took notice of this. "You okay, Aggatha?"_

 _I bit my lip and stared at my tennis shoes. "Yeah, I'm good."_

 _Noticing that he wasn't leaving, I sighed and put my head in my hands. "Actually...I'm not okay. I was hoping to find F.P. here..."_

 _"He's working." Tall Boy stated vaguely taking a seat across from me._

 _I felt tears sting my eyes and I quickly wiped them away. I didn't want to cry in front of a bunch of bikers in a bar. Damn hormones. "I know...it's just that I've been going to these past couple doctor's appointments by myself and I've been going to the lamaze classes alone. Yesterday, I set up the crib without help and the doctor said I'm not supposed to be lifting heavy things."_

 _I couldn't help it anymore._

 _I started to cry...very loudly, I might add._

 _And I made every single person in the vicinity visibly uncomfortable, including Tall Boy._

 _I put my face down to hide my tears and hiccups._

 _Suddenly I felt someone pat my back and I looked up to see one of the Serpent women, Peggy, give me a sympathetic smile. Peggy was one of the older Serpent's. She was in her forties, had long blonde hair, and was tall in height._

 _"Sweetheart, I couldn't help but overhear. You know, F.P. is family" , I heard some low grumbles of agreement around the room, "and we take care of our family. I know you're young and that this is a lot of responsibility you both have on your shoulders, but if you need help, all you have to do is ask. And this goes for both of you."_

 _I was touched. I nodded my head rapidly as I tried to keep my eyes dry. "Okay." I choked out._

 _Peggy sat down next to me and put her and around my shoulders, bringing me in close to her. "Sweetie, this is your first child...correct?"_

 _I nodded._

 _"I have three children. I know how hard it can be. If no one else is available, call me and I will help you, with whatever you need. Alright?"_

 _I smiled a tiny bit, despite my blotchy face and runny nose from crying. "Alright."_

 _"Serpent's take care of their own." Tall Boy said in a low voice. Everyone verbally agrreed loudly._

 _"Thank you...I just..." I held back what I was going to say. Peggy took notice of this and said, "Spit it out. It's not good to hold things back, especially if you're carrying a baby."_

 _"I just want F.P. with me! I miss him. He's been gone so often and I know! I know I'm not supposed to ask what he's doing or where he is, but I can't do this alone. I don't just need him to be with me for our child, I need him to be with me as a husband. There can't be a marriage if only one person is around!"_

 _I started to bawl. Once again, I made everyone uncomfortable, though this time to the point of several people saying, "I'm going outside for a smoke." This was bad because you were allowed to smoke indoors at the Whyte Wyrm._

 _My body racked with sobs and I clung onto Peggy, crying into her shoulder. "I love him and miss him. I hate waking up in the middle of the night and he's not there. I hate getting pity glances because he's not supporting me at lamaze class. I hate being alone at the doctor's even though he knows that hospitals make me nervous. I just want him around more."_

 _Peggy and Tall Boy exchanged looks. "Maybe we can ask if he can have less shifts." Peggy mumbled as she stroked my hair in a motherly fashion._

 _Tall Boy stroked him beard in thought. "Perhaps. But he has a job to do."_

 _"He's got a pregnant wife who's crying her eyes out! C'mon. We can find him something else to do for a while, until the baby is at least six months. I mean you guys did that for me."_

 _"Pegs, I don't think it's possible."_

 _Peggy gripped me tightly as she shot Tall Boy an icy glare. "They're only kids. It's bad enough that they're young, don't let her go through this alone."_

 _I felt Tall Boy's eyes on me. "Fine. I'll talk with some others, and see what can be done. But I wouldn't get your hopes too high. He volunteered for this job."_

 _I jerked myself from Peggy's arms. "What?! He volunteered for his job? He said it was non-negotiable, that he HAD to do it."_

 _Tall Boy turned a shade of pink and mumbled something along the lines of "Damn women ruining everything.."_

 _I hastily grabbed my yoga mat and bag. I wiped my eyes as I fastly walked out of the bar._

 _"Darling, please don't get worked up. It ain't good for your baby." Peggy tried to reason._

 _I ignored her as I pushed the door open, temporarily blinded from the sunlight._

 _"F.P., isn't that your wife?" I blinked a couple times and vaguely made put F.P.'s form on the other side of the road._

 _"F.P.!" I yelled out, angrily walking across the street. I held my hand on the side of my face, shielding me from sunlight._

 _Then I heard my name being called in a panicked manner. "Aggie, watch out!" It was F.P. and he sounded scared._

 _"From wha-"_

 _I didn't finish my sentence._

 _A car hit me, making my bag and mat fly out of my hands and launching me up in the air. I felt my back crack the windshield of the car. I went up several feet in the sky, landing hard on the pavement on my side behind the vehicle. A sharp pain shot through me and I gave out a weak cry._

 _I heard tires screech as they sped away and I heard footsteps pound the pavement as every single Serpent that was present run towards me._

 _"Call 911!" I heard Peggy cry out._

 _I felt my body being lifted up and someone holding me in their strong arms._

 _"Honey? Baby. It's me, F.P. Open your eyes, baby. Please! Just open your eyes. Aggie!" I heard him pause and then scream out, "CALL A FUCKING AMBULANCE, RIGHT NOW! She's bleeding. Oh God, please no! Please..." I felt him hold me tighter and his lips on my forehead._

 _"It's going to be okay, baby. It's going to be okay." His voice was shaky and I felt droplets wet my hair._

 _"It's going to be okay." At this point, I don't know of he was talking to me or himself. I didn't know who he was trying to reassure._

 _I no longer heard anymore of his mantra._

 _Because I blacked out._

 _When I woke up everything wasn't okay._

 _Far from it._

 ** _Thank you for the reviews! I hope you liked this chapter! :) If we could get this up to 26 reviews, I'd be so happy! Lol, I'm not lying when I say reviews give me power and power helps me write!_**


	9. Alcohol and Dances

Disclaimer: **I do not own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

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 **chelsnichole12**

 **pinkshirt**

 **jessica02**

 **prankster-at-heart**

 **luvinurbuks**

 **Thank you for all the reviews! It made me overjoyed reading them all! You guys are amazing.**

 **So people, the more reviews I generously receive from you, the more inclined I am to write. The more I write, the faster I update!**

 **The song in this chapter is As The World Falls Down by David Bowie. It's incredibly romantic and fantastical, so please, take a listen! :D**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _I woke up once more in a hospital._

 _I opened my eyes and heard the steady beeping of my heart monitor._

 _The sun was out, shinning brightly, a cast contrast to the heavy mood of the room that I immediately felt upon waking up. I was once again in a hospital gown and had an IV stuck in my hand._

 _F.P. was the only one in that small hospital room. He was wearing a long-sleeved red flannel shirt over a short-sleeved white t-shirt. One jean clad leg was crossed over the other, and one elbow was propped up on the arm of a chair, holding his head. His eyes were distant and he was staring out the window, like he was dreaming of some far off place._

 _My hand went to my stomach, and I started to panic after I noticed that my bump was no longer there._

 _The heart monitor started to beep loudly and at faster rate than before._

 _F.P.'s head snapped towards me and his face seemed relieved for a second. He got up and rushed to where I was. "Aggs! Oh My God! I was so worried!" He sat on the edge of my bed and stroked my hair lovingly. F.P. put his forehead to mine as one hand went behind me head._

 _I didn't care about myself though. "Where's my baby, F.P.?" I asked him quietly._

 _F.P. froze up and he slowly let go of me, sitting up straight._

 _His mouth opened and closed a couple times, before he stood up. F.P. paced back and forth in front of my bed with his brown eyes shut and his hands clasped together behind his head._

 _Finally, the lean and muscular man looked at me, putting one of his hands down by his side. One hand went to his chin and he shook his head. F.P.'s eyes immediately went red before he said, "Aggs...we...he...he didn't make it."_

 _I felt my heart stop. "What?"_

 _F.P., like always, did his best to not cry in front of me. "He didn't make it."_

 _My eyes stung with tears and I shook my head rapidly. "No." I started to hit the sides of my head fast. "No, No, NO!"_

 _"Aggie stop!"_

 _I couldn't though. I kept hitting myself, hoping that this was all some nightmare that I'd wake up from._

 _F.P. rushed over to me and stopped my hands. He gathered me in his strong arms and I started to wail. "MY BABY! MY LITTLE BOY!" I clutched onto F.P's shirt, balling the material up in my fists. My body shook and F.P's grip on me became tighter._

 _"OUR SON IS DEAD!" F.P. kissed the top of my head and I heard his shaky voice. "I know...It hurts like hell, but look at me", F.P. grabbed my face and made my eyes meet his, "we are strong. We can get through this...together. Alright? I'm here for you."_

 _I felt my head nod and I went back to loudly crying into his shirt._

 _F.P. lied to me that day._

 _We weren't strong._

 _I don't think we ever were._

 _-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Fred found me in the fetal position when he arrived at my house. My cheeks were all blotchy, my nose was runny, and I was staring at the wall.

The door was unlocked, so Fred let himself him.

"Jesus!" He exclaimed as he rushed over to me. Freddy bent down and looked at me with his warm brown eyes.

"Aggie, are you okay?" He straightened his back as he examined the room, and how there were broken plates everywhere. "What the hell happened here?"

"F-F.P. came b-by." Again, his name was harder to swallow than a bottle of pills. It felt bile and left a horrible aftertaste.

"What? He came by?"

I nodded. Fred stroked my hair and he said, "Damn. I was going to give you a lecture about yesterday, but now all my rehearsal's have gone to waste." My brother was trying to lighten up the situation as best as he could.

"Stop..." I wobbled as I got up off of the ground, shrugging off Fred's attempts to help me. I stood firmly on my feet and pushed past my brother to get the broom.

I wiped my nose and turned around, doing my best to convince Fred that I was okay. "I'm fine. It's no big deal." I strolled past him to sweep up the remians of the plates that I threw across the room earlier.

"Aggatha-", Oh shit! He was using my full name, -" what happened? You can't just tell something like 'F.P. came by' and not expect me to react because 'it's no big deal'."

I stayed quiet. "I ran into a Serpent this morning. He told F.P. that I was back...and I guess-", I took a breath as I bent down to sweep up the broken pieces, "-F.P. heard about someone buying the Mill. In his own words, 'I put two and two together'. I guess he wanted to talk or something." My words were slow and cautious. I stood up and went past Fred again to dump the pieces in the trash.

Fred rubbed the top of his head, near his receding hairline, and he responded with, "So you're telling me, that your ex, just showed up out of the blue, with his only intention being wanting to talk?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"And did you?"

"Did I what?"

"Talk with him?"

I gave out a breath of frustration and gestured around the room. "Do you not see what obviously went on here?! We didn't get to much talking."

Fred seemed to have something on his mind. He crossed his arms and was giving me the same look our dad would give us if there was something he wanted us to do.

"What?"

"Don't kill me for what I'm about to say...but maybe you should talk with F.P."

My jaw dropped. "Are you serious?! After everything he's done? No!"

My brother walked over in front of me and snatched the broom and scoop from hands, tossing them to the side. He put his hand on my shoulder, giving me a stare whose pierce was both hard and gentle. "F.P. has messed up so many times. Even, I've had my experiences with that. And yeah, I don't talk to him much anymore. But that's for other reasons, far different from your own." Fred stepped back and shook his head at me.

"You're going about this all wrong, sis. You can't just throw plates because you hate someone. If you really want to move past all of this, stop running and confront the problem. You want to kill F.P. for what he did? Tell him that. Have an actual conversation with the guy because knowing you-," Fred gave me a disappointed grimace, "-you'd rather scream or run. From here on out, those are no longer options. Got it?"

"No..."

Fred stepped back and gave me an astonished look. "What?"

"I said no." I glared up at my older brother. "You can't dictate to me what I can and can't do. I'm not twelve anymore and you're not the boss of me."

"Well you certainly act like it." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

"I heard that. And no, I don't."

Fred rolled his eyes. "Right. Because randomly showing up at my house after being away for YEARS is a totally grown-up thing to do."

"I tried to call you!" I protested.

"And then you have a break down at dinner, storming off, just because a teenager mentions their dad picking them up. Considering this was after you said that you moved on."

"I have moved on!"

"NO!" I jumped back as Fred rose his voice. He never raises his voice...ever. "You come back into town after years of being gone and bring everyone else into some soap opera that we don't really need! The adult thing to do would be to talk this over to someone..."

I stayed quiet. He did have a point.

"I...I'll think about what you said."

Fred nodded and took his phone from his pocket. "Listen, I have to go back to work."

"But you haven't been here that long!"

"I know." Fred turned red. "I need to get something to eat."

I rolled my eyes and let out a laugh despite my reprimanding.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Later on that night, I was on my couch, sipping a cup of tea and reading a book. I was in my pajamas. They were mint green, with pants and a matching camisole top. I had on a white sweater and my glasses. Then I heard a knock on the door.

I took off my glasses, bookmarked my page, and set down my mug on the side table. Standing up, I opened the door to see F.P. I peered out my door, seeing his truck parked crookedly close to my own. I shut the door and turned around.

"F.P.?! I thought I told you to-" F.P. stumbled forwards and started to yell, "I HATE THAT YOU LEFT!" I stepped back and he started to sway back and forth. He looked at me wildly and screamed out, "I FUCKING LOVED YOU! I WOULD'VE DONE ANYTHING FOR YOU!" Taking a step closer to the Serpent King, I took a whiff of his smell. Sure enough, he reeked of alcohol.

Wrinkling my nose at the offensive odor, I waved my hand in front of me, fanning the smell away. "F.P., you're drunk."

F P. started to pound his chest taking a step closer to me with each hit of fist. "DID YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID I LOVED YOU!"

Attempting to pacify him, I took his face in my hands and gazed at him softly. "I know." I whispered.

In that moment, the tough F.P. Jones looked lost and helpless as he said, "You do?"

Damn it.

This was a fucking minefield.

I didn't want to deal with a drunk F.P.

Hell, I didn't want to deal with a sober F.P. But I've dealt with F.P. being drunk before, once or twice. I've even been drunk with him before, but that was the first and last time in me doing so...until that one night with Bobby Mercer. Anyways, F.P. either got really rowdy or incredibly sentimental when drunk. When we were together, he drank socially, but was never addicted to alcohol.

When Archie said that Jughead's dad was an alcoholic, I had yet to connect the pieces of that alcoholic being F.P. Plus, the way that Archie said it, I thought he was just making up some dipshit lie to get Jughead over for dinner. When I was with F.P., he never drank this much. I guess everyone changes overtime. And despite the overwhelming urge to kick his ass to the curb and laugh my head off while doing it, I knew that I wouldn't act on that urge. So I decided to let him stay and yell at me.

Hey, it was better than him driving around drunk.

I nodded, while grabbing his hand and leading him to the couch. He needed to go to sleep. I sat him down and patted the armrest. "Lay your head here." He laid his head down and I put his feet up, taking off his boots. I snuck my hand into the pocket of his jacket and grabbed his keys, sneaking them out sight and into the pocket of my sweater.

"Just rest F.P."

F.P. didn't close his eyes though. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want do it...I didn't want to do it."

I sat down in the floor next to his head. "What didn't you want to do?"

F.P. mumbled something incoherent. He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. Finally, he spoke. "Do you remember having sex for the first time?" His words were slow and slurred together.

I turned red. "Umm...yeah. I do."

He chuckled. "I was your first."

Still red, I agreed with him, hoping he'd just pass out already. "That's right."

He continued reminiscing. "I've fucked other people before you...but you were the first one I ever made love to. I always thought that making love was some bullshit saying some pansy ass mama's boy thought up of. I didn't know it was real until I was with you."

Ignoring my heart strings tug, I shook my head. "That's all in the past now F.P."

F.P. turned on his side and blinked slowly. "Do you remember when I sang you a song at the homecoming dance? What was the name of the theme...of the dance? Under the seaweed?"

"Castles in the Clouds." I corrected him through gritted teeth. For the love of all that was Holy, why couldn't this man just leave me alone?!

F.P. chuckled lowly. "Yeah, that was it. Fred didn't know that I was going to sing for you. We were on a break and he went to go get punch. I rehearsed that song every day for a month so I wouldn't sound like shit...do your remember, Aggs?"

I nodded. Hesitantly, I stroked some fallen hair away from his eyes. I put my hand down quickly after.

"You were so beautiful...in your silver dress and hair all done up."

"Yeah...I remember that dress." I reminisced fondly, thinking about how much I loved that dress, and how hard I worked to save up for it.

"Yeah...Aggs?"

I gad my back to him now, staring at the wall. "What F.P.?"

"Help me turn it back."

I twisted around to slightly face him. "Turn what back?"

"Time."

His answer was so simple, yet it struck something deep within me. I wished that too. I wished that F.P. and I could go back in time...so we'd never ever would have gotten together. There would have been less heartbreak and less turmoil in our lives if we had never been together in the first place.

I shoved back any instinct to cry. "That would be cool."

"Do you remember-"

"F.P.! Get some sleep. I'll...I'll talk to you in the morning." F.P. nodded. "Okay, sweetie. I love you."

I swallowed thickly, attempting to appese him. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry for lying...I didn't want to do it...but I had no choice...I loved you so much that I had no choice."

Feeling my curiosity peak, I probed him for more. "What did you lie about?"

F.P.'s eyelids closed and then his mouth opened, soft snores coming out.

There's a saying that goes like this: 'A drunken man's words are a sober man's thoughts.' What did F.P. think about while he was sober, that had such an effect on him while drunk? What was taunting his sober thoughts constantly, that he had to show up at my place in the middle of the night while drunk?

I stood up and went to the linen closet, grabbing an extra blanket, throwing it on F.P.'s sleeping form. I grabbed my cup of tea, downed it, and put the mug in the sink. Going upstairs to my bedroom, my mind went back to the dance.

 _."Okay Mom! How do I look?" My hair was pulled up in an elegant side bun and I was wearing white peep toed high heels. My hair had sprigs of baby's breath in it, and my ears had small sparkly earrings._

 _My dress though...it was the best part. Patterned and silver white, knee-length and strapless, I fell in love the moment I saw it in a window of a clothing shop. I took up extra shifts at Pop's, helping clean the floors after hours at night, just to save up enough to buy it._

 _I twirled slowly so my Mom could see my whole outfit. She beamed at me and took my hands in hers. "F.P. is going to love it!" She let go of me to grab the camera from her room. I fumbled with my fingers as I looked back into my full-length mirror self-consciously._

 _"He'll love it." I turned and my Mom gave me a reassuring smile. Nodding back at her, she said, "Smile!" And snapped a photo of me._

 _I giggled as she put her hands on my shoulders. "You know, when you came forward and told us that you were seeing F.P., it kinda took us by surprise."_

 _I glanced at my Mom. "It did?"_

 _She squeezed my shoulders and nodded, releasing her hold on me to go to my closet. "Yeah. You guys are really different, not to mention he's Fred's best friend. But I guess it does explain some things that I've never been quite able to figure out." She opened the door and pulled out a light silver silk shawl._

 _"Like what, Mom?"_

 _My Mom closed the door and went over to me. "Like how he never went anywhere without inviting you. Or how he always brang you back something when Fred and him had to go get groceries. Or how he never had what one could call 'a serious relationship'." She put the shawl gently around my shoulders, coverinv up their bareness. "I think he was waiting all this time for you."_

 _I fiddled with the hem of my dress. "Freddy...he punched F.P. when he first found out. Do..do you think he'll ever come around?"_

 _Mom gave me a small smile. "I think he will...eventually. It seemed better this week. That's progress!"_

 _"Mom...he found out last week!' I pointed out. "I don't know how long he can go about pretending I don't exist. F.P. is with me, I'm with him! Is it really that big of a deal?"_

 _My Mom fretted over me, placing the shawl the right way. "To your father and I, no. To your brother, yes." She let out a laugh as she straightened my dress. "You're his little sister! He's dotted upon you since you were born. And F.P. has been his friend, his best friend, for years. Since kindergarten. He just doesn't know how to deal with all of this. Give him time...he'll come around."_

 _I gave my Mom a pointed look. "I'm not a small child anymore, Mom."_

 _Mom gave me a serious look. "Freddy treats you like a saint. You've been a child in his eyes until now. You being with F.P. has shown him that you're growing up." Mom went the door and stopped right before she exited. She whirled around and gave me a serious look. "Sweetie...if you and F.P. umm...'do it'...make sure he's 'covered', if you catch my drift."_

 _My eyes widened and I turned bright red all over. "MOM! I...we...what?!"_

 _She placed a hand over her heart and let out a breath of relief. "Oh thank God. You're still a virgin." She gave me a smile and went downstairs._

 _I looked back at my reflection, praying that F.P. would think that I look nice._

 _"SWEETHEART, YOUR BROTHER AND F.P. ARE READY TO GO! THEY GOT THE CAR ALL LOADED UP! YOU NEED TO GET DOWN HERE."_

 _Taking a deep breath, I left my room and came to the top of the stairs. I put my hand on the bannister and descended down the stairs. I heard all the chatter seize as I came down to the final steps._

 _F.P. stood still, in his blue suit and tie. His brown eyes were intense as they stared into mine._

 _Finally he said, "All that time you took to get ready...it was worth it. You look radiant."_

 _I could feel myself glowing as he came and took me by my hand._

 _"Aww!" Cried out my Mom as she dabbled her eyes with a napkin. My Dad gave me a grin and said, "You look amazing, kiddo". Mom grabbed the camera, and snapped several pictures of me and F.P. My Mom also made me take a couple pictures with Fred, which was awkward to say the least._

 _"Now you kids have fun." Laughed my Dad as he slapped a hand on Freddy's shoulder. Then he gave a pointed glare at F.P. "But not too much fun."_

 _Laughing nervously, I took F.P.'s hand in mine and waved goodbye to my parents. Fred strolled past us and climbed into the driver's seat of the Shaggin' Wagon. I peered into the van. "Are you guys excited to play for the school?"_

 _F.P. laughed as he helped me into the back of the vehicle. "Yeah. I think the Fred Heads are going to get some great coverage tonight."_

 _I sat down on the floor behind the driver's seat. "Freddy you must be happy to show everyone your band!"_

 _He didn't say anything to me. I looked down as F.P. grasped my hand tightly. "Hey, Freddy Boy, when we get to the school, let's get set up right away. We're running a bit late."_

 _"'Kay." Was all Fred said. We parked near the back of the gym. Fred hopped out and opened up the back of the Shaggin' Wagon, carrying in some of their equipment into the back of the gymnasium. Sighing, F.P. gave my forehead a kiss. "You're going to help collect the tickets for the first hour, right?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _F.P. looked looked around and gave me a smile chock full of white teeth. "Great! Two hours after we've begun playing, go to the center of the dance floor."_

 _I giggled as he helped me out from the van. "Why?"_

 _F.P. 'tsked' a lot and held up his hand. "Don't ask questions. Just do it. Okay?"_

 _I nodded and he helped me inside. "Go on and get to the front. The Fred Heads got some things to set up." Biting my lip, I left as he went back to the Shaggin' Wagon, getting out some more of their instruments._

 _For the first hour of the dance, I sat at the front table taking tickets. When my shift was over, I entered the gymnasium. It was beautiful. Decorated in blue and white with tons of twinkling lights, it really did seem like somewhere magical up in the clouds. Tons of couples were dancing to the not-so-good music that was the Fred Heads were playing. I went to one of the side tables and grabbed a bottle of water._

 _"Aggatha Andrews, don't you look like the belle of the ball?" I turned and saw Hermione giving me an eyeful._

 _"Thanks Hermione. You look beautiful as well." I complemented her. She was wearing a black strapless number with a leg slit all the way to her thigh._

 _Hermione, much like Alice, was mean. But she ignored me for the most part...at first. That was until her and Fred got together. Since then, we slowly started to familiarize ourselves with each other. I mean, we had to when I would come downstairs in the mornings sometimes, and she would be at the table eating waffles with my parents._

 _I liked to think of us as good acquaintances. Hermione flashed me a smile only a celebrity could master._

 _"Well, well, well. Isn't it the Lady and the Tramp?" We both turned and saw Alice Cooper in her homecoming crown and sash giving us a sneer._

 _Hermione put a protective arm over my shoulders. "Alice, get over yourself. We both know that Aggie is the only virgin out of the three of us."_

 _I glowed as bright as red neon sign. First off, I didn't want to know about my brother's sex life in any insinuation. Second off, I knew that Hermione meant it as a compliment and a defense of my character, but still...I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit like she was insulting me in the process._

 _Alice rolled her eyes. "Right! Like I'm going to believe that the girl dating F.P. Jones is a virgin."_

 _My eyes widened. "Wait-how did you know about that?" I did my best to keep it from her, for this very reason. ._

 _Alice smirked. "Word travels around fast, sweetheart. Especially on the Southside."_

 _"Alice back off. Just because you're jealous-" Hermione started, but Alice interjected, glaring at the beautiful Latina. "Me? Jealous of this freak? Right. Only someone with brain damage would date a degenerate like F.P."_

 _"He's not a degenerate and I'm not a freak!" I snapped. I immediately covered my mouth, surprised that I would stand up to Alice. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hermione giving me an impressed look for finally standing up to my tormentor._

 _Alice narrowed her eyes. "You are a freak. You tried to steal Hal and when he wouldn't go for you, you went for the only one who would have you: a lowly Southside deadbeat who'll never amount to anything."_

 _"Now, now Alice. Isn't that a bit hypocritical considering you're from the Southside?" All three of us turned to see Hiram Lodge giving the homecoming queen a cold look. He gave Hermione and me a sly wink as he stood in front of us, towering over Alice. He glared down at her. "As I can recall, Hal was failing in his classes and Aggie was the only one willing to tutor him. You should be thanking her. After all, if wasn't for her, he'd never would have been accepted that that fancy ass college the both of you are going to attend next year. Pleae correct me if I'm wrong at any time."_

 _Alice rolled her eyes and said, "Hiram, this is none of your business. Leave." He waved him ofrom, but he didn't move._

 _Hiram stood up straight and adjusted his cufflinks. "I'd be happy to oblige...if you're willing to do the same."_

 _It was standoff, until she mumbled, "You're not even worth it Aggatha Jones." She turned heel and left._

 _I grinned at both Hermione and Hiram. "Thank you! I thought she would bother me until the end of the dance."_

 _Hiram nodded, not even looking my way. He offered his hand to my brother's girlfriend. "Yeah, no problem. Hermione, seeing as your boyfriend is currently playing in the band, would you like to dance with me?"_

 _Hermione glanced over at me, and I shrugged, knowing that Fred would rather her have a good time than spend the night as a wallflower._

 _She smiled at Hiram and took his outstretched hand. "I'd love to dance." She gave me one last nod as they went off to the middle of the dance floor. I took a bottle of water and opened the cap, drinking it up. I stood waiting by that table, until I caught F.P.'s eye as he grinned at me from onstage. I glanced up at the clock above the stage. It was almost two hours into the dance._

 _A couple songs later, Fred strummed the last chords and took a bow as everyone clapped. "Thank you! Thank you! Now if you don't mind ladies and gents, the Fred Heads are going to take a momentary ten minute break. We'll be back before you know it!" Everyone cheered as the band took off towards the snack bar._

 _Except for one band member._

 _F.P. jerked his head towards the middle of the dance floor, and I quickly pushed past everyone to stand directly beneath the disco ball, in the middle of the dance floor. F.P. took a different guitar and waved to some random people in the crowd, who went up to the stage and stood at various instruments. I_ _craned my neck to look for my brother. Fred was standing next to Hermione. He gave me a questionable look, and I shrugged, turning back to watch my boyfriend on the stage. F.P. walked over to the mic and tapped on it._

 _All of the noise in the gym slowly died down as everyone's eyes turned to the Serpent on stage. Even the teacher's didn't know what he was doing. F.P. gave off an air of unsureness, like he didn't know if what he was about to do was the right thing._

 _Then, his brown eyes found my blue ones. Suddenly, he became confident as he looked at every one in the gym. Finally, he spoke into the microphone._

 _"Hello everybody. I hope you're all having a good evening." This garnered some cheers and a couple of whistles as people agreed with that statement._

 _F.P. chuckled and held his guitar tightly. "Now, I know Fred said that we'd be back in ten minutes...but what he doesn't know is that I want to sing a song for a very, very special girl tonight."_

 _I bit my lip, knowing exactly what was going to happen. F.P. pointed to me and said, "And she's standing right there, looking more beautiful than all of the stars in the sky." A bunch of people let out 'awws' and a bunch of girls sighed dreamily._

 _F.P. smirked, a couple strands of his hair falling in front of his face. "In fact, can we get a spotlight on Aggatha Jones please?"_

 _Out of nowhere, a blue spotlight hit me, with another shinning on F.P. Some girls around me giggled, and whispered how lucky I was to have a guy doing this._

 _F.P. leaned in close to the microphone and said, "Aggie...I know I've told this to you before, but I want you to hear it again: I love you." This statement, this beautifully honest statement made me grin from ear to ear. Water stung my eyes as everyone gushed about how romantic and sweet this was._

 _"Sweetheart, this song is for you." He nodded over to the people behind him, and then he started to play._

 _From the minute his fingers strummed the first chords to when the piano player pounded out the first keys, I knew what song it was. Then he started to sing the lyrics._

 _ **"As such a sad love, deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel open and close. Within your eyes, I'll place the sky within your eyes..."**_

 _I couldn't help the tear that escaped as my smile nearly tore my face in half._

 _He was singing As The World Falls Down, a song from one of my favorite movies. A movie that I first saw at the Twilight Drive-In with him and Freddy._

 ** _"As such a fooled heart, beating so fast, in search of new dreams, a love that will last. Within your heart, I'll place the moon, within your heart..."_**

 _His voice was smoother than Fred's. It was much less grating to the ear and more emotionally sincere. F.P. was laying everything down on the line that he felt, in front of everyone. F.P. Jones, the Southside Serpent, was publicly serenading me in the presence of over a hundred people._

 _He really did love me._

 _I felt like I was going to fly._

 ** _"As the pain sweeps through, makes no sense for you. Every thrill is gone, wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you, as the world falls down. Falling. Falling down. Falling in love..."_**

 _F.P. Jones sang the entirety of David Bowie's As The World Falls Down. And when he finished, he took a breath. Never once did his eyes leave me._

 _The applause that was loud, turned deafening as he rushed off stage, with his guitar strapped to his back, pushing past the crowd of people._

 _F.P. stood in front of me, under the disco ball, and held my face in his hands._

 _And after a moment of us looking at each other, he pressed his lips to mine in a firm kiss. I wrapped my arms around his as everyone cheered us on._

 _We broke apart and I blushed, hugged him tightly. I whispered into his ear, "Thank you for the song. I loved it! I love you."_

 _From over F.P.'s shoulder, I saw Fred giving me a look that he had neglected to give me for so long: one of approval._

 _Needless to say, he didn't have much of a problem with his best friend dating his sister after that night._

My mind reeled back as I locked my bedroom door.

Fuck those memories.

And fuck F.P. Jones.

There was no point to remembering him serenading me. It was a worthless memory, like our entire relationship. It didn't do any good to dwell on it.

 **I hope you liked this update! Please give me a review and I will give you a chapter! If we could get this up to at least 35 reviews, I will cry with happiness! :)**


	10. Jogging, Donuts, and Ghoulish Memories

Disclaimer: **I don't own Riverdale or the Archie comics.**

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 **Thank you for all the reviews! It made me thrilled to see people so happy to read my writing and taking the time to type out their thoughts! I'm so happy when you guys put in the effort to do this. :)**

 **So three things.**

 **First, after this chapter I will be going back and editing my previous chapters because of grammatical and spelling errors.**

 **Second, I have other fanfictions I'm currently working on, my top priority being my G.O.T. fanfic. If you're interested, I have fanfictions in the Scream, Final Destination, and Game of Thrones fandom that I'm currently in the process of writing. Please take a look if you want!**

 **Third, with every chapter I will give a warning beforehand because some of this stuff might be a bit heavy for you guys. In the story, I want to talk about how someone who used to be bright and shiny could turn into someone really cynical and negative. This is not a story for the light-hearted. We will be talking about an array of subjects that can make some people uncomfortable. So please if you have a problem reading some of these things either skip the chapter or don't read the story. Things like sexual assault, miscarriages, depression, seperation, addiction, and other heavy subjects will be explored. I think the 'M' rating should be indication enough of how this is going to go down. I just felt like giving you guys a heads up because I didn't do it in the other chapters.**

 **Warning: Sexual Assault ahead in the second flashback. Skip if you're uncomfortable with it.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale, 2016

 _"Aggie?"_

 _I turned my head to the side, just to see F.P. watching me._

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"Do you believe that the world ever just stops?"_

 _I glanced back up at the dark sky, with the stars bedazzling like some rhinestone dotted blanket. The decorations of the heavens were witness to us laying down in the grass in the middle of the Twilight Drive-In. It was just us, as no one was around. It was an off day for the drive-in. We were on a plaid blanket, merely watching the stars in silence._

 _This was our idea of a date._

 _My eyes went back to F.P.'s. "Do you feel that?" I asked, putting my ear to the ground._

 _He seemed confused, copying my motions. "Feel what?" He strained trying to listen._

 _"The world...it stopped moving right now." A smile spread across his face. "Yeah...and it's just the two of us."_

 _"Forever?" I reached for his hand, pulling it in between us. Our fingers interlaced._

 _"Forever." He agreed, squeezing my hand tightly._

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

I woke up extremely early the next morning.

The sun had yet to come out.

After several attempts of trying to go back to sleep, I abandoned all efforts as seeing it was pretty much futile.

I went to my closet and dressed up in yoga pants, a tank top, a hoodie, and some running shoes.

Even in Detriot, I would go out for morning runs, though I made it a habit to only stay in my neighborhood and to carry my pepper spray.

I stretched for about a half hour before I bounded down the stairs.

F.P. was still asleep, turned on his right side, his arm covering his eyes.

Quietly walking past him, I went to the kitchen and grabbed some Asprin and a cup of water. I set it down on the side table with a note that said: Eat These, Fucker. I put his keys that I had taken that night on the side table as well, hoping that when F.P. woke, he would get the hint to get out.

Grabbing my house key, I tucked it into my pocket as I left.

My feet hit the pavement and I started to jog leisurely. I started to pick up the pace as I saw more and more houses appear, signalling that I was nearing civilization. My feet smacked down on the streets, one after the other, my phone blasting music through my earbuds.

I didn't stop. My lungs burned, and my legs were unforgiving that I had neglected this long held morning routine for the past several days. I pushed myself, faster and faster, refusing to let up. I went through the middle of town, circling back towards my house once I got to the most central point of Riverdale.

I had forgotten how much of Riverdale was on hills.

It was torture to say the least.

Ever see that one movie, 'Howl's Moving Castle', and then there's that one part when the witch is melting on the steps of the palace?

Yeah, that was me.

The sun had just barely come out when I entered into my home quietly. F.P. was still softly snoring, the Asprin on the side table untouched. I went upstairs to my room, stretching, before I grabbed my green bathrobe. I went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door. I stripped down, putting my clothes in then dirty laundry hamper.

When the shower turned on, I stepped in. A warm spray of water cascaded down my body, washing all my sweat and grime away.

I grabbed my shampoo, a type that smelled like coconut and revitalized my hair, and started to massage it into my scalp. I grabbed the conditioner that was the shampoo's pair and ran it through my bright crimson locks.

I closed my eyes, just relishing in the simple luxury that was a warm shower.

It was a good moment.

Full of solitude, quiet, and tranquil. There were aspects in my life that had been sorely lacking since my descion to move back to the town I had grown up in.

Then I started to smell it...

At first, the offending stench was faint. But as time wore on, it grew more and more prominent.

Something was burning.

Shutting off the shower, I dried my body off as quickly as possible. I rubbed out my hair, still leaving it damp, and dressed in my bathrobe.

I threw open the door and hurried downstairs, where it was smoky.

Noticing F.P. missing from the couch, and the Asprin gone, my temper flared.

"F.P.!" I coughed as I made my way into the kitchen, where the Serpent King was putting a smoking pan in the sink, turning on the faucet to cool it down.

He dropped it in there suddenly, as he jumped back, shaking his hand. "SHIT!" F.P. exclaimed, sucking on the part of his hand that be accidentally burned.

I opened up the window above the sink and the front door, while turning on the ceiling fan in the living room.

When the smoke cleared out, I put my hands on my hips and glared at my ex-husband.

"What the hell is your problem?!" I snapped.

F.P. raised an eyebrow at me and crossed his arms. "What?"

"You heard me! Are you trying to burn down my house, you miserable cretin?"

F.P. rubbed his beard looking exasperated. "I wanted to make you breakfast. Do you a favor, like you did one for me." He gestured his arm over to the couch.

I took a step closer to him. "You really want to do me a favor? Leave." I went past him and turned off the kitchen faucet. "I let you stay the night only because I didn't want someone else getting hurt because of your bad choice. It wasn't because I care or that I want to talk."

Whipping around I saw F.P. glaring away. "I see..." He mumbled. He went over to the couch and grabbed his boots, pulling them on.

"Well, thanks, I guess." He tossed a paper ball at me. I unwrapped it and saw the note I wrote for him. "That was a cute message. Very original." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Well not as original as the drunk ex who show's up to their old girlfriend's house, rambling off about random shit from the past." I shot at him.

F.P. sat up straight and glared at me. "Wife." He said.

"What?"

"You were my wife." He corrected me.

I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes. "Well according to the anullment, we weren't anything. We didn't exist."

A flash of hurt went through F.P.'s brown eyes before they hardened again. He nodded and pulled on his other boot. "We didn't do anything last night...did we?" He asked quietly, stopping for a moment.

Was he serious? I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"F.P., I barely want to speak with you right now. What makes you think I'd even want to go near your dick while you're drunk? So, the answer is no. We didn't do anything." I took my fingers off of my nose glared at him.

F.P. had no response as he started to lace up his boot. He grabbed his keys from the side table and mumbled, "Sorry I came over. And thanks for letting me spend the night."

I stepped away from him as he tried to pat my shoulder. "Just get out." F.P. was about to walk out the door when I said, "Hey."

F.P. turned and cocked his head to the side. "Yeah?"

I put a hand on my upper arm and rubbed it. "Last night...you were rambling on and on about some sort of lie you had told. You said you didn't want to do it, that you had no choice. What did you mean by it?"

F.P.'s entire body froze like a statue. He staggered backwards, opening and closing his mouth several times before he shook his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I knew it the moment he froze up.

1.) He was keeping something from me. Something he really didn't want me to find out.

And 2.) He was lying.

You see, ladies and gents, when you spend most of your formative years with someone, you pick up things. I could be gone several thousand years, and I can still pick up when F.P. lies, even if he is a master at it.

"Mmm-hmm. I might not have been around for a long time Forsythe, but I can still tell when you're lying to me."

"I say stupid shit all the time when I lay into the bottle, Aggatha. I have to go. Thanks for taking care of me."

He slammed the door behind me, clearly upset that I pointed out his drunken sayings from the night before.

"Well, fuck you too." I grumbled. I went upstairs and got dressed in some regular jeans and an old Nirvana t-shirt.

Grabbing my keys, I left the house to go over to Fred's. When I arrived, I knocked on door only to have Archie answer with his backpack on.

"Hey Aunt Aggie." I looked at him confusedly.

"Wingnut! Where the hell are you going?"

"School." He pronounced all the syllables to the word slowly, as if I couldn't comprehend what he was talking about. "It's Monday. I have school today."

"Is your dad here?"

He shook his head. "Nah, he left early this morning."

"Oh!" I looked around the neighborhood before shrugging. "Well c'mon then. I'll give you a ride to school."

Archie scratched the back of his red-head. "I don't know..."

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my nephew's arm, pulling him towards rhe car. "It's still pretty early, so why don't we go get some coffee and donuts, on me." Archie looked conflicted. His eyes darted over to the house next door before he nodded. "Sure, sounds like fun. Let me lock up the house though."

I went over to the car and started it as Archie locked the front door. He came over and threw his backpack in the backseat.

I drove us to this one little coffee shop, where I ordered a box of donuts and two cups of joe to go. When I can back to the car, I handed Archie his cup and the box. "Here kid. Share these with your friends."

Archie looked puzzled. "Don't you want one?"

I shook my head as I took a sip of my coffee. "Nope."

Archie drummed his fingers on the pink box before he blurted out, "Aunt Aggie, are you hiding something?"

I looked at him kind of funny and snorted. "What? No. Why would you think that?"

Archie shrugged. "I don't know. You've been saying that you wanted to help out my dad with his seperation from my mom, but Mom's been gone for nearly a year and a half."

I punch on the breaks hard, causing my coffee to fly out of my cup and onto the windshield. I turned my head sideways, staring at my nephew in shock. "What the fuck did you just say?"

Archie looked like he was going to have a heart attack. "What? What did I say?"

I felt like I was going to explode. "Your mom's been gone for more than a year? I thought she just left."

Archie's eyes turned sad for a moment and he stared down at the box of donuts. "No, she didn't just leave."

Well, well, well. Fred preaches to me about talking things over, and he hasn't even spoken to me about how long his wife has been away! What the fuck? We were in contact a year and a half ago. Why didn't he say anything when she first left?

Something else got my attention. "What does your mom leaving have to do with me 'hiding something?" I said, using air quotes.

"After you left dinner the other night, Jughead told me that he thinks there's another reason that you're in town. He thinks that it has something to do with his dad." My mouth dropped open.

Damn.

That kid was too smart for his own good.

Maybe I should just tell Archie the truth.

"No! I just don't like his dad, that's all."

Okay, so I lied.

Archie sat back as I retrieved some napkins from the glove compartment and wiped down the windshield.

"Aunt Aggie...why am I getting the feeling that Jughead is right?"

Throwing the damp napkins somwhere in the backseat, I let out a breath and sat back. Gripping the steering wheel, I stared straight towards the empty road ahead of me. "Archie...there's a lot to my past that's full of hurt. It's a sad story that has yet to end."

Archie, much like his father, stared at me with warm brown eyes and patted me on the back. "I'm sure it'll get better."

I gave my nephew a small smile. "You know Wingnut, I might be a little late in my offer...but seperation, it hurts like hell to everyone involved. If you ever want to talk, I'm here to listen." Archie solemnly nodded. I took my foot off the break and revved the engine. "Now let's get you to school, 'Kay?"

I drove Archie to school, were a bunch of kids were outside in the front hanging out. A tall, muscular, Asian boy spotted us and yelled out, "Andrews!"

We both turned our heads as our family name was shouted out. The teenager jogged over, whistling as he did so. "Damn! That is a sweet ride, Andrews." I leaned over my nephew and flashed the kid a smile. "Thanks! She's my baby."

The boy stopped and stared at me with wide eyes and a dropped mouth. Archie opened the door, accidentally hitting the kid, who was relentless as he looked on at me. Archie grabbed his backpack from the back of the car, put it one, the grabbed his coffee and the box of donuts.

"Thanks for the ride and donuts, Aunt Aggie. It was a real treat." I grinned as he stood besides the awestruck boy. "It's no problem, Wingnut."

Archie blushed as the teen next to him exclaimed in shock, "Holy shit! Andrews, she's your aunt!?" Archie rolled his eyes as he shut the passenger door. "Reggie, leave her alone." Archie grabbed him and pulled him away from my car. As they walked towards the front doors I heard Reggie say, "Dude, she's so hot! And she has a great car! How old is she?"

'Too old for you, kid." I thought dryly.

I started to move, when I nearly ran over another teenager. I leaned out my door's window and honked my horn several times. "Hey Kid! Watch where you're-Holy Shit! Jimothy?! Watch where you're walking! This isn't aisle six at the grocery store! You can't just walk slowly." The clean cut kid from the grocery store gave me a tiny glare as he moved on.

Chuckling slightly, I decided to take a drive to the Southside.

There was no point in avoiding it now that F.P. knew I was back.

While I was driving there, I slowed down to a halt as a green light changed to red. Driving up next to me was a nice old classic car in the color white. The drivier gave me a smug smile and winked at me.

I ignored him.

I knew what gang he probably belonged to, and it sure as hell wasn't the Serpents.

Ghoulies.

I disliked them.

If it wasn't for them F.P. and I would never have gotten together.

 _I was walking around the Southside, looking in every restaurant, bar, and hidey hole, trying to find F.P. My bike was locked up outside the Post Office on the Southside. F.P. was supposed to come to our house for dinner, as he always did on a Saturday night. This week though, I was so nervous about him coming to dinner. I didn't know why though. He always came over, even if it wasn't Saturday, and this dinner wasn't anything fancy._

 _Nevertheless, I spent all day cleaning the house. It was so bad, that Fred and my Dad left to 'go run errands' as an excuse to get out of my warpath. I even kicked Mom out of the kitchen so I could cook dinner._

 _I made a full spread. A rack of ribs, baby carrots, mashed potatoes, tomato soup, and strawberry chocolate pie for dessert._

 _I even wore a yellow dress, that buttoned down to the middle and that was knee-length. When my family got home, we waited for an hour before deciding to eat._

 _Or they did_

 _I couldn't eat. I was wondering where F.P. was. Deciding to take my bike and a slice of pie, I ventured into the Southside to find out where he was._

 _It was nearly nighttime, when I ran into troubke._

 _"Hey sweetie! Where are you off to?" I turned slightly to see a trio of boys_

 _Hoping that they'd go away if I talked to them, I stopped and gave all three a small smile. "I'm just looking for a friend. I have to give him something and-"_

 _The tallest one of the group, a gangly brunette with pimples, spoke up. "Toots, I ain't never seen you around these parts before."_

 _The other boy, a blonde one with striking green eyes, looked me up and down as he popped his bubble gum. "Skeevie is right. You don't look like you go to Southside High, Red."_

 _I blushed and took a small step back. "Well, I actually go to Riverdale High-"_

 _The leader of the trio, a handsome boy with black shoulder length hair, gave me a steely glare. "You're a Northsider?" He took a menacing step forward and I backed up a couple paces. He gave a deep chuckle. "Well, well, well. Look what we got here boys! A Northsider mouse, all ready to play."_

 _Starting to feel panic, I shook my head rapidly. "No! I don't want to play. I just want to look for my friend."_

 _"What? Your Northsider friends ain't good enough for you now?" Asked the gangly boy as he cracked his knuckles._

 _"Yeah! Suddenly you just want to slum it up with a Southside, is that it?!" Added the blonde boy as he balled up his first._

 _"No! I'm not slumming it up. I've been friends with this boy for ages. Maybe you know him! His name is F.P.!" I was trying to avoid any trouble, so I hoped that by dropping F.P.'s name, they would be more understanding. Maybe they'd even help me look for him._

 _Boy, was I wrong._

 _Really fucking wrong._

 _The leader froze. Suddenly, his steely glare contorted into a snarl. "F.P. Jones?! The Serpent?!"_

 _I shook my head rapidly. That couldn't be right. F.P. wasn't part of a gang._

 _The blonde one looked like he wanted to pummel something. "You're friends with that guy?! That uppity fuck who thinks that he's better because he goes to Riverdale High?"_

 _I felt my blood run cold when they mentioned the school F.P. attended._

 _My eyes widened in shock, because if they knew where F.P. went to school, they were probably telling the truth about him being a Serpent as well..._

 _The leader chuckled again, this time more maniacally, as he snapped his fingers. "Boys, let's show this Northside Princess what happens when you want to make friends with a Serpent." He looked me in the eye as he uttered his threat. "Us Ghoulies don't take kind to Serpents in our territory. And this also goes for their sluts."_

 _In that moment, I knew that if I didn't act now, I'd be frozen in terror. Dropping the box that contained F.P.'s dessert, I sprinted down the street._

 _"Get that bitch!" I heard the leader say. I could hear their footsteps pound the pavement as they chased after me._

 _While running, I screamed at the top of my lungs. "HELP ME! PLEASE! THE GHOULIES ARE AFTER ME! F.P.! HELP!"_

 _Coming to the end of the road, I noticed a field before it led into the forest. Hoping to take my chances there, I ran towards it._

 _My plan was to go into the thickest part and lose them by climbing a tree or by hiding in a bush._

 _But that plan was foiled halfway through me running across the field._

 _I felt the wind being knocked out of me as the leader of the trio tackled me from behind, causing us to stumble into the thick, tall, yellow grass._

 _I could barely breathe as he flipped me over and straddled my waist. The other two boys ran up beside him and smirked down at me._

 _"Good going, boss!" Said the gangly one, breathing hard._

 _The blonde one nodded. "Yeah, that was a nice tackle. Now whatcha gonna do with her? Rough her up?"_

 _I squirmed and started to hit the boy on top of me in the chest. He glared down and slapped me across the face._

 _I tasted blood on my lip immediately after._

 _The leader reached into his back pocket, and produced a switchblade. He flipped it open and held it to my throat, causing me to become paralyzed._

 _The leader looked between his two cronies and then back down at me. "Yeah, I'm gonna rough her up." He ground his hips into mine proactively. "I'm gonna rough her up real good."_

 _Tears started to stream down my face as he grabbed my hands and pinned them above my head. I squirmed beneath him as he ran his blade down my dress._

 _He gave me a sadistic grin as he started to pop the buttons off, one by one. The blonde boy laughed. "Look at her face! She's fucking terrified now."_

 _The gangly one nudged the leader. "Can I have a turn when you're done?"_

 _"Yeah. We'll all have a ride."_

 _Feeling dread in my stomach, I spit into my attacker's face. "Leave me alone!" I wiggled underneath his grasp his he furiously wiped off the saliva from his face._

 _"You fucking cunt!" He released my wrists only to ball up his fist and ram it into my stomach._

 _I felt like a boulder suddenly restricted my ability to breathe._

 _He held down my wrists again as he hastily started to pop off every button of my dress. My bra and belly button were exposed at this point. Grabbing the switchblade, he cut the middle of my bra, opening it to reveal my breasts._

 _I finally regained my breath and let out a choked sob._

 _"Ain't she a beauty boys?!" The boys whistled and whooped, one even saying, "Damn! I just want to bury my face in them and never come out."_

 _The leader met my eyes as he smirked. "Now that's the best idea I've heard the whole damn day!"_

 _He bent down and buried his face in my chest, inhaling my scent._

 _I never felt more humiliated than I did in that moment._

 _Why me? I hadn't done anything to deserve this._

 _Then I felt it._

 _His tounge licking my plump mounds of flesh, his teeth nibbling at them, leaving tiny bite marks. I let out a shriek._

 _My eyesight was blurry with tears. I thrashed my head side to side, my plea's falling in deaf ears. "Please! Please stop! I bet you're better people than this! Please stop!"_

 _The boy above me didn't listen as put down his switchblade for a moment in order to lift up the skirt of my dress. He grabbed the knife again, muttering a quiet, "Be still." He swiped the blade beneath both sides of my underwear, baring my most private area for everyone to see._

 _He dropped the switchblade to the side of him as his hand gripped my naked thigh. His head didn't leave my breasts as his hand went up at an excruciatingly slow pace. Finally, they made their way to their destination._

 _He entered in two fingers, causing me to cry out in pain as he curled them. He looked up at me and laughed. "Boys! We got ourselves a virgin!"_

 _I started to shriek out loud, when the blonde one wolf whistled with his fingers. "What a lucky bastard!" He exclaimed._

 _I felt them moving in me. That's when I started to scream louder than ever before. And I only screamed the one name I could. "F.P.! PLEASE! OH GOD! PLEASE!" This wasn't how I wanted to lose my virginity. Hell, does anyone?_

 _The leader above me unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. He pulled out his hard cock and rubbed_ _it at my entrance ."F.P. ain't here to save you."_

 _I could only shut my eyes, fearing for the worst, when I heard a familiar voice say, "Think again, motherfucker."_

 _I felt the boy being shoved off of me and I scrambled up, pulling down the skirt of my dress and covering my bare chest with my arms._

 _My watery gaze made out F.P.'s form. He paused briefly and took in my appearance. From my torn dress, to my shredded panties on the ground, to my split lip where the leader had struck me earlier on._

 _F.P.'s face turned to one of pure rage as his eyes turned dark. He looked at the leader of the trio who was buttoning up his pants._

 _I've seen F.P. mad before...but this...he looked like he was going to murder someone in the cruelest way possible._

 _"You touched her?" F.P. asked in a deadly voice._

 _"We gave that Northside Slut what was coming to her." To my utter disgust the boy liicked the fingers that were in me and gave F.P. an amused look. "Mmm...tastes like cherry." He chuckled._

 _Horrified at his actions, I burst into a fresh batch of tears, ashamed at what they had done to me. That's all it took for F.P. Jones to snap._

 _"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH HER! I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!" F.P. launched himself at the leader, punching him across the face._

 _Even when the boy managed to hit him back, F.P. punched back harder. He got on top of the boy, knocking his switchblade from his hands, and repeatedly hit him in the face until it was a bloody mess._

 _Wobbling upright, I stood as I saw one of the other boys about to attack F.P. with their own knife._

 _He was going to stab F.P.. On instinct and pure adrenaline, I acted._

 _"NOOO!" I gave out a strangled cry and quickly dived for the switchblade on the ground. Shakily, I stabbed the one that was going to attack F.P. in the calf and he fell down with a yelp of pain ._

 _Then, other voices came. From a distance, a group of about seven Serpents made their way to all of us._

 _I quickly covered up my chest and backed away from them fearfully, afraid at what they were going to do._

 _The tallest one, took in the scene and calmly walked over to F.P., who was still making the boy's face a bloodied wreck._

 _"F.P. that's enough." He said gruffly, putting a hand on the Jones' boy's shoulder. F.P. jerked away from him and didn't relent._

 _The tall man yanked F.P. off and stood him upright. F.P. had a wild look in his eyes. His bruised and blood-covered fist held his brass knuckles tightly. "F.P., get your girl. We'll take care of the rest."_

 _F.P. for a moment looked like he was about to say something snarky and until his eyes went to me._

 _He nodded and walked over to me, taking off his Southside Serpent jacket, making me put it on to cover myself._

 _"C'mon, Aggie." He picked me up bridal style and carried me away from there. I wrapped my arms around his neck and put my face into his chest._

 _With him...I felt like I found a safe haven._

 _He made his way back into town and went into a bar._

 _"HELP! I NEED HELP!" He shouted. The music, voices talking, and laughter seized. People made way as F.P. walked to the other side of the bar._

 _Someone went up to him. "Jesus, F.P.! What happened?"_

 _F.P. stopped walking. "My friend...she was attacked by a couple Ghoulies. I think they..." His voice trailed off and I heard a bunch of exclamations of anger._

 _"What the fuck?!"_

 _"Why did the attack her?"_

 _"First they come into our turf, then they start pushing the hard stuff, now this?"_

 _"Those sadistic fuckers!"_

 _F.P. leaned into the guy the came up to him and quietly said, "Get me the first aid kit and I'm going to need a car. She's spending the night with me."_

 _I wiggled in his arms, crying out, "No! I want Freddy...please, I want my brother." "You're not going anywhere, Aggie." Was his response._

 _F.P.'s grip on me tightened and he walked to another room, an empty one. Gently, he set me down on a table, turning his back to me._

 _In a low voice he asked, "Aggatha...why the hell would you go walking about the Southside alone at night?"_

 _I sniffed. "I-I-I was looking for you. I made dinner and you didn't come. I wanted to give you at least a slice of p-p-pie."_

 _F.P. sighed and he turned around. "What happened...it's not your fault. Whatever they did-"_

 _"They didn't do that."_

 _F.P. cocked his head to the side, his brown eyes trained on me. "What?"_

 _"I'm still a virgin..."_

 _F.P. visibly deflated with relief. But then he turned his head away in shame. "This is all my fault."_

 _I reached out for his hand and took it in mine. "It's no one's fault but my o-o-own. I was being foolish."_

 _F.P. took a step closer to me. "Aggs...you probably already figured this out...but I'm a Southside Serpent."_

 _"Why would you keep that from me? I don't care_ _that you are." I wiped my eyes._

 _F.P.'s jaw clenched. "No...but Fred might."_

 _I became confused. "Why would you join?"_

 _F.P. shook his head, refusing to answer. "That's a story for another day." He ran his fingers through his light brown hair. "You're not safe being friends with me..."_

 _There was a moment of hesitation before I spoke up. "F.P. you saved me. Those boys could have gotten further if it weren't for you." I sighed pushing down my tears, not letting even one escape. "I want to stay a virgin. I'm saving myself for someone special." I looked down at the floor, mumbling, "Someone like you."_

 _F.P.'s index finger went under my chin and made me gaze into his eyes. "Someone like me...or me?"_

 _I stared him in the eyes before gripping the back of his head, pressing my lips to his, unafraid of him or his touch. I knew in my heart that he was not like those boys that tried to hurt me. Every single time his lips moved with mine, I felt a piece of myself healing. Slowly, I pulled back from him. He put his forehead to mine, stroking back a strand of hair. "You...definitely you."_

 _So, in some fucked way, it was because of the Ghoulies that we got together._

F.P. would later on tell me how he heard someone calling his name while he was heading to the Whyte Wyrm. He told me how he didn't think anything of it until he got a hair-raising feeling that something was wrong. He stayed outside until he heard his name called screamed. F.P. had said he ran in the direction of the scream, getting there just in the nick of time.

Not that it mattered now.

He probably hurt me far worse than those boys ever did.

Still...he saved me that night.

Riverdale was full of memories.

Some of them bad...some of them good.

Overall, this was my opinion: fuck this town.

Revving my engine, I drove away.

 **Okay! So there it was and yes, her getting assaulted will come into bigger play later on. I needed to show that people don't become bitter and angry overnight. It takes a culmination of events to make a person that way. So please, review and tell me what you think! Reviews give me power and power helps me write! If we could get this up to 45 reviews, I would be so thankful!**


	11. Interviews and Identity

**Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait, but here's the new chapter. It's a bit short, but hopefully it'll do. I took a short break becuase I had gotten PM saying that someone plagarized my story. However, after talking the author in question, I realized that it was just an enormous misunderstanding. However, the whole experience did make me weary lol. Anyways, hope you like this next chapter.**

 **Thank you to:**

 **luvinurbuks**

 **Guest**

 **Krunyy**

 **Guest**

 **paulavara140**

 **DiscoPenguin**

 **Flairs**

 **WereGrounder**

 **Lexxloubell**

 **I do not own Riverdale, only Aggie.**

1st P.O.V. Riverdale

 _I was sitting down on the front porch, reading The Hobbit. In my favorite black overalls and red sneakers, I was immersed in the story of Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves he was travelling with. I had just turned the page when the front door slammed open, and Fred, along with a bunch of his friends, came rushing out of the house. They were all rowdy, hitting each other and laughing with one another. Fred gave me a mere 'Bye, Aggs.' as he and the other boys went to the Shaggin' Wagon to go to the drive-in._

 _The last one out of the house was F.P. He had on a black shirt with a jean jacket, and red hat on backwards. He stopped before following the other boys, and looked down at me._

 _F.P. gave me a smile that melted my heart and made my insides turn into butterflies. "Hey, Aggie. All of us are going to the Twilight Drive-In, want to come? We're going to go see Basic Instinct."_

 _He had invited me to the movies with them! Me! My face went red as I felt my heartbeats become faster and faster._

 _I bit my lip and kept my eyes trained on the wooden floorboards of the porch, when a disturbing thought entered into my mind. There was nothing I wanted more in the world than to go to the movies with F.P., but I also didn't want to put a damper on Fred's evening. Not that he minded, of course, but sometimes...I don't know, I just felt out of place, like I didn't belong with the rest of them. "Thanks...but, I think I'll just stay and read." I held up my book and gave him a reluctant smile. "You have fun, though. 'Kay?"_

 _F.P.'s smile dimmed a bit and he gave me a nod. "'Kay, well..." He gave me a tight-lipped koI ok and waved goodbye. I gave him a small wave too as he went and joined that mass of boys in Fred's van. Once they disappeared from sight, I leaned my head back against the wall of the house, replaying everything that just happened over and over again. He was always inviting me to join them, but I always declined._

 _Last week he invited me to Pop's with them._

 _The week before, he invited me to the river when a bunch of them wanted to go swimming._

 _And before that, their group wanted to go out of town to go to the mall, and he invited me to come along._

 _Did he like me?_

 _'F.P. is so nice and cool and smart. He would never go for me. He probably just invited me to be polite...yeah, that's it.' I looked at my watch and saw that it was still early. Deciding to leave well enough alone, I grabbed my book and went inside._

 _Yeah, F.P. Jones was just being nice, that was all._

 _In no way, would he ever be interested in the nerdy introvert that was Fred Andrews' younger sister._

 _He, one of the most popular guys in the school, and me, the Queen of the Geeks._

 _Little did I know, that I was 100% wrong._

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I eventually came to flowing waters of the Sweetwater River, and parked my car close to the edge. Turning it off, I sat down at the water bank, hugging my knees against my chest in a semi-fetal position.

I wanted to get out of this town again.

Sure, seeing Pop Tate was nice, as was seeing my nephew, but I felt a resistance to my home that I hadn't felt before. Like it was hesitant to accept me back...perhaps it was just me, though. Seeing F.P. did no favors, and neither did Fred keeping information from me. At least in Detroit I had a purpose...and someone to complain to.

The more I thought about Detriot, the more I started to think about Bobby and how he compared to F.P. Jones.

F.P. didn't take any shit, and neither did Bobby.

F.P. had a rough childhood, so did Bobby.

F.P. was a magnet for trouble, so was Bobby.

Both had been in and out of jail.

Both had tattoos.

Both had a sense of family, as warped as their senses were when it came to such a notion.

But herein lies the difference: Bobby never cheated on me, and was brutally honest, to the point of it just being mean. F.P., on the other hand, tended to keep secrets so no one would get hurt. Bobby Mercer didn't give a shit about feelings, so he just told it like it was. He was honest about his struggles with the law and how he had no desire for a relationship. He was unabashedly himself.

So, I believed him when he told me that he wanted me to stay.

Bobby wouldn't say that unless he meant it.

And the more I thought about how moving back to this shit hole of a town was a mistake, the more I believed Bobby's sentiments.

I took off my shoes and rolled up my pants, wading into the shallow water.

Shaking my head, I scoffed. "I need to stop thinking these things, it isn't right. I came here for Fred and Archie and I'll damned if I let the past or my own self-doubts scare me away." After a while of cooling down, I went back into my car, driving back into town. I picked up a copy of the Riverdale Register, and went into Pickens Park, sitting down on the bench.

I turned the page to the Jobs section.

Maybe the reason I was thinking all of these things was because, for the first time in years, I had an enormous amount of free-time on my hands. Perhaps getting a job could help ease the transition into being back here in this small town. Though, technically I already had a job (Hello, best-selling author right here!) I needed to do something more active.

I mentally crossed out all the unsuitable jobs as my eyes scanned the advertisements of the paper.

Beautician? My gaze shifted from the black ink to a small scar on my wrist, a memento from when I tried to wax myself. Cringing at the thought of how I had all of that hot wax on my arm, I knew that this job would not be suitable. After all, I didn't want to give anyone else a scar.

Journalist? Alice Cooper and Me? Working together? Hell no.

Waiter/Waitress for Pop's Chock-Lit Shoppe? Lord knows I spent all of my extra time at Pop's. I loved Pop Tate, he was like a second father to me, and was the only other person besides Fred that I stayed in contact with when I left Riverdale. He was the one that gave me a job when I was pregnant and he was the one that I would often go to for advice. On a couple occasions, Pop Tate even let me stay the night at his house. However, knowing him, Pop Tate would want me to do better for myself, something he often told me when we had our weekly phone chats when I lived away from here.

Interior Designer? I liked making up rooms and houses, but I didn't do it professionally. And considering that it was the Blossoms that put out the advertisement, I knew that they would only want the best for their home, not some amateur with a hobby and time to kill.

The last one though, caught my eye. "School Social Worker?" I mumbled to myself. "Social Worker needed for inter-district work. Must have degree in Communications or Social Work. Recommendations mandatory. Wage $20.00-$25.00 an hour?" I raised my eyebrow. Looking up at the sky, I asked, "Hey, Big Man Upstairs...I hope this isn't some kind of sick joke. I don't really need that right now."

I got up from the bench and went to my car. I started it up and drove home. I had to update my resumé.

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I held the phone up to my ear as I made dinner. I decided not to see Fred until I calmed down a bit. We were already on the rocks, and I didn't want to make things any worse.

 _"I'm sending you the letter now."_

I stirred my pot of soup around as I nodded. "Thanks, Jason. It really means a lot."

 _"It's no problem, you were one of our best workers. It's a shame you had to leave. The office doesn't seem the same without you."_

"Awww!" I cooed sarcastically, "You're making me blush."

Jason, my old boss, laughed into the reciever. _"Well, don't get used to it, Aggs. I'm a married man."_

Taking a spoon out of the drawer, I dipped it in the red broth, lifted it to my lips, and tasted the soup. Thinking that it was fine, I turned off the stove and got out a bowl from the cabnient above me. "I know, I know. By the way, how is Karen? Is she and the baby doing well?"

I could hear his smile as he said _, "Yeah, they're doing great. Jacob is learning how to walk now, so that's been fun."_

Ladling some of the soup into the bowl, and covering the pot with the lid, I sat down at the table. "That's awesome! Just make sure that you keep an eye on him, okay? I one time took care of this toddler, and she went everywhere. Once she got up to walk, it was like Fast and Furious."

 _"Gee, I can't wait."_ Jason replied. _"Anyway, I have to get home. Good luck with the interview."_

I smiled. "Thanks, and good luck with the walking." I clicked the end button and sat in silence.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

I set up an interview for the morning, so that was nice.

And tomorrow, I would have a talk with my brother.

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The bespectacled woman with pink, (borderline purple) lipstick stared at me. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat as she silently read the recommendations from Jason and my old co-workers.

Interviews had never been my thing.

I hated them because you had to talk about yourself, which was something I wasn't really fond of.

The woman finally set down the paper and sat back in her chair, her critical stare feeling intrusive to my personal bubble.

"So", she sneered out, "you come from Detroit?" Of course that would be the first thing she'd point out.

I scratched the back of my head, slightly messing up my perfect hair bun. "Actually, I was born and raised here, in Riverdale. I went to school here and graduated-" The interviewer cut me off. "From Riverdale High School. Yes, I saw that." She leaned forward and asked, "Tell me about Detroit. What was it liking working there."

Well, here goes nothing. "Rough at first, but you get used to it."

"And the children you worked with?"

"Like the city, but had a different way of expressing it."

The woman gazed down at my paper and hummed. "Hmmm...it says here you have a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from the University of Glasgow?"

I nodded, brushing my hands on the black pencil skirt I was wearing. "That's correct."

"Pity. We were looking for someone with a Master's. In fact", the interviewer raised a skeptical eyebrow at me, "it's nearly a requirement for any social worker to have a Master's."

"I understand that, but the office I worked in was sort of desperate and really understaffed, which ended up with me getting the job."

The woman took out a pencil from her messy hair and bit the eraser in thought. "That's nice, but a Master's is what we're looking for."

I looked down in disappointment. "Oh...alright."

The woman handed my resumé back to me and stood up from behind her desk. "Thank you, for your time. We'll keep in touch."

We'll keep in touch? Yeah, that was a polite way of saying 'We won't ever hire you, so please get lost and stop wasting our time'.

I stood up and shook her hand. "I look forward to it."

Leaving the office, I released my hair from it's bun, shaking it loose as I stepped out into the street. As I walked past the windows of that shops that lined the streets, I rolled my eyes seeing my reflection.

I looked like a principal.

Ugh!

I knew I should've worn something more colorful than this shirt, my white long-sleeved button up. I stopped and adjusted the straps to my heels, making them a bit more tight.

As I was walking, I looked at my watch. It was getting closer to noon, which meant that soon Fred would be taking his lunch break.

I would have enough time to change. I really just wanted to wear my overalls again, the signature staple in my wardrobe.

Overalls, to me, are super comfortable.

 _One day during the first few days of Freshman Year, I wanted to make a change._

 _This was before the whole 'surgery debacle'._

 _I glanced nervously at my reflection in my mirror. I had my hair done in a fashionable style. I was wearing the newest jeans and the preppiest shirt. I had on makeup and a ton of bangles and I was wearing contacts._

 _'This year, I will not be made fun of.' I told myself. Grabbing my bookbag, I went downstairs to the kitchen where Fred, Mom, Dad, and F.P. were walking about or sitting down. I went to the table and sat down next to Fred, who was enjoying a cup of coffee and a stack of waffles._

 _I set down my bag and reached for the coffee pot to get myself some._

 _"Here, Aggs." F.P. handed me a cup of coffee._

 _"Thanks!" I took it from his hands and our fingetips grazed each other. The corners of F.P.'s lips tugged into a smile as he propped himself against the table. He took a sip from his mug and said, "You look nice today." "Thanks!" "You nervous about starting high school?"_

 _"Nah. I think I'm adequately prepared for it, besides, I'm really happy to be going to school with you and Freddy again."_

 _F.P. chuckled and said, "Yeah. It was kind of a loud without you there. You quiet things down."_

 _I added some french vanilla creamer to my coffee and took a waffle from the slowly-dwindling pile in the the middle of the table. Mom came to the table and gave me the peanut butter, while smacking Fred on the back of the head._

 _A piece of food came flying from his stuffed mouth to his plate. Fred looked at Mom with wide eyes and an open mouth._

 _F.P. and I weren't slow to comment._

 _"Eww! Fred you almost spat that out on my food!"_

 _"Dude, close your mouth!"_

 _Fred closed his mouth to swallow the food and he called out to our mother who went to the outdoor porch. "Ma! Why'd you hit me?"_

 _"You need to save some food for everyone else." She yelled back._

 _F.P. and I laughed as Fred rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, embarrassed about being scolded. I hummed a nonsensical tune as I scraped peanut butter onto my waffles and poured some syrup on them, all while being unaware that F.P. was watching me._

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 _It was only Fred and I walking home from school. F.P. had football practice, so he couldn't come along. It was silent until my brother said, "You looked nice today."_

 _I glanced down at my outfit and sighed. "Thanks..."_

 _I clutched my pink history binder closer to my chest. Fred nudged me with his shoulder and I looked up at him as he gave me that James Dean smile of his. "Are you still upset by what Alice said?"_

 _"Well...she did call me a poser in front of EVERYONE in the cafeteria." I emphasized the word 'everyone'. Fred ran his fingers through his light brown hair. "Yeah...by the way, F.P. said he would talk to her about that."_

 _I felt my irritation at the Southside girl overflow and I snapped at my brother, "Oh! Like he said he would take care of it all the other times?"_

 _I walked ahead of him in a huff and Fred ran to catch up to me. "Hey! Just ignore it then. Ignore Alice and she'll leave you alone. She just likes getting a rise out of you."_

 _I held out my arm in front of him to make him stop walking. I stood in front of him and asked him, "Do you think I look like a poser?"_

 _Fred held his hand up to his mouth, shielding his obvious smile from me. "No...but..."_

 _"But what?!"_

 _Fred took his hand off of his mouth and let me see his grin. He put a hand on my shoulder. "You're trying too hard. This is high school, not some ball or a John Hughes movie. Just be you, and it'll be a whole lot less stressing, I promise."_

 _I thought about his words._

 _Maybe I was trying too hard._

 _And Fred was usually right about these things. "_ _C'mon", Freddy said as he swung his left arm around my shoulders, "Mom said she and dad are taking us to Pop's tonight. I bet Dad will even let you get two milkshakes." I leaned into my brother's embrace as we walked home._

 _The next day, I went to school in overalls, no makeup, with glasses. I was myself. And I felt immensely better. During breakfast, F.P. came over and smiled at me. "Hey, Aggie." "Hey!" He took an apple from the fruit basket and bit into it, a dribble of juice going to his chin. I reached over the table and wiped it off for him. F.P. gave me a slight sheepish look along with a grin and said, "You look pretty today."_

 _I retracted my hand self-consciously. "Oh, thank you."_

 _"You looked good yesterday, but you look better today. More natural and more like yourself."_

 _Yeah...Fred was definitely right._

I walked to my car, but before I could open the door, I heard a voice say, "Aggatha Andrews, is that you?" I turned around and saw the familiar face of Hal Cooper.

 **Thanks for the reviews! Please tell me what you think. :D**


	12. Author's Note

Author's Note:

Hey Guys.

I know that I haven't written in a while, and for that I'm honestly sorry. I've been going through a lot right now.

Recently, I went through a miscarriage.

It was hard and painful and I was completely alone during it.

My fiance was away on duty, so he couldn't be here. I thought that maybe when he got back he would come visit me or I could go to his base where he was stationed and we could talk about what happened.

Then it got worse when he came back. He stopped speaking to me for an entire two months before I heard from him again. I thought something bad happened or that he was just out in the field for a long period of time. I called, messaged, texted, but he still didn't respond. When I finally heard back from him...it absolutely broke me heart.

On top of all that mess of me losing the baby, I found out he was cheating on me with some woman who was divorced and already has kids... He told me he moved on and I had to find some guy that "would work for me". When I said no one gets engaged in a couple months, he said that "well, she was my friend and was there for me." Let's be real here people, no one gets engaged in a couple of months "to a friend". She was the the entire time. Well, I was crying and begging with him on the phone and he still did not care... I told him that he was throwing away seven years for some other girl who was temporary but he still didn't listen. He froze me out and so did his family., which was odd considering how they always said I was like a daughter/sister to them (I'm being slightly sarcastic, I know it's not odd). I had to also stop our friends, as well as most of my family members from forming an angry mob and going after him. I wish I meant this as an exaggeration, but I quite literally had to physically stop a veteran friend of mine from going to where my ex was and halt him from attacking him.

I was working and going to school, saving up money to move over to that base where he was. I gave up the chance to go to Scotland and England to make this work, and he didn't care. I was 100% faithful the entire time, he didn't care. I was going to put off my own ambitions and dreams, because working things out with him, mean more to me than anything else. He still didn't care.

My grades took a hit and sunk. I couldn't study or focus with all of this going on. I haven't slept since April 4th (when all of the proverbial shit hit the fan), I lost a lot of weight, and I now have PTSD from my miscarriage, resulting in me not even being able to look at babies without getting triggered.

It's just been hard to write or even read...

I don't know what to do or when the story will be back up...

I'm so sorry.


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